The Revenge of Barkis Bittern
by Lost in Day Dreams
Summary: Barkis is back and bent on revenge against the person he holds responsible for his death: Victoria. Can Victor stop him from completing his plan before it's too late?
1. The Wedding

Hello! I'm back yet again, but this time I decided to write a real story instead of just a oneshot. It might take a while for updates to come since I'm still developing ideas for this story, but if your patient, I'm sure this story will be a success (I hope!). Anyway, hope you enjoy the first chapter!

* * *

Victor Van Dort stood at the head of the dull, gray little chapel located in the center of the dull little town. The situation he was in, however, was anything but dull. All about him, people were bustling about, arranging flowers or straightening pews and making last minute preparations for a wedding that was less than an hour away.

_My wedding, _Victor thought incredulously. After months of impatient waiting, his wedding to Victoria was a mere hour away. He didn't think he could stand waiting another second, however.

_It is my own fault the wait was so long, _Victor admitted. _After all, you don't marry a corpse and expect everything to return to normal right away._

And boy, did it take some time for things to return back to normal. After the dead returned to their respected places after Victor and Emily's near wedding, the entire town confronted Victor and Victoria and forced them to explain their entire story. It took some time for them to grasp the reality of the situation, but once they did things began to calm down and return to normal.

There was, however, one change: Victor and Victoria became the sort of outcasts of the town. However willing the townspeople were to except the explanation Victor and Victoria gave them, they still viewed the two as the anomalies that caused the dead to walk the earth. This caused the town folk to avoid the pair as if they had the plague or were possessed by evil spirits of some sort (they had Pastor Galswells to thank for that assumption). Victor and Victoria didn't mind much (neither of them were ever particularly found of the people that inhabited the town), but it did put a hinder on their marriage plans.

It took about a month for the people to realize that Victor and Victoria were not diseased or cursed, but as soon as that problem cleared up, another arose. Maudeline Everglot, being adamant on saving face in any way, insisted that Victoria was still technically the Widow Bittern, and would therefore have to wait an appropriate amount of time before running off and marrying again. So, for the next five months, poor Victoria was forced to wear nothing but black and pretend that she was in mourning for the lowlife she had been forced into wedlock with.

Now, six months subsequent to the Corpse Bride incident, Victor was finally standing at the front of the church, ready and waiting to be married. All that was missing now was the bride.

_Where is Victoria, _Victor wondered as he scanned the church anxiously. After a minute or two, he finally spotted her at the opposite end of the church, speaking to a few of the wedding guests. He was about to go over there and speak with her, but instead Victor decided to take a moment and study her.

_She certainly is beautiful, _Victor thought as he gazed upon her. _Only Victoria could take such a simple dress and turn it into something spectacular. _

Victor felt his heart swell with emotion as the guest apparently said something witty and caused Victoria to giggle in delight. Oh, did he love her so. And to think he could have easily missed out on simple moments such as this, just gazing upon the one he loved.

Upon realizing this, Victor's thoughts drifted back to Emily. He wondered what she was doing at that very moment. He hoped she was happy.

_She must be happy, _Victor thought, _I set her free. _Victor sighed.

During the past six months, Victor had a lot of time to reflect on what it would have been like to be married to Emily. He imagined how they would spend their eternal lives down in the Land of the Dead, what they would take about, and the times they would share, and he realized it wouldn't have been that terrible. He realized that not only would he have fell in love with Emily, but that a tiny part of him already did love her. No, he definitely wouldn't have been miserable.

But that part that loved her would never compare to the love he felt for Victoria. He loved her with a love that overwhelmed everything else, and he knew that even though he would have been happy with Emily, there would always be a big part of him that would feel lost and alone without Victoria. Victor had realized that that definitely would not have been fair to Emily. Eventually both of them would have ended up heartbroken and miserable.

Victor turned his attention back to his bride to be and smiled. _Things turned out just as they should have, _he thought. _I'm sure they did._

Just as Victor thought that thought, the guest Victoria was speaking to bid farewell to her and Victoria began to make her way towards him. His heart leapt with excitement as she approached him and took him by the hand.

"Follow me," she whispered to him. Victoria then proceeded to lead Victor out and around the side of the church where it was totally secluded.

"Victoria, not that I'm not glad to be with you, but what's this about," Victor asked her.

"I just needed to get away from the chaos for a while," she explained. "I wanted to be with you and just you alone." Victor blushed, which caused Victoria to smile in delight.

"Well, I'm glad you did, because I don't think I would have been able to stand another minute in there," Victor confessed timidly.

"Yes, the family can be quite…characterful, to say the least," Victoria said, her eyes dancing with amusement.

"The very least," Victor agreed.

"I just can't wait for this wedding to be over," Victoria admitted, "when we can go off and live the rest of our lives in peace."

"Just the two of us," Victor added with a loving smile, to which Victoria returned with one of her own. Victor could feel his heart grow warm as he began to think about all the things he and Victoria would share in the future, the children that were to come, the memories they would make…

At those thoughts, Victor's impatience for the wedding to begin grew. "When is the wedding supposed to begin," he asked.

"By the looks of the sun, I would say about fifteen minutes from now," Victoria answered with excitement.

"Well, since we have time to spare," Victor began to say nervously, "Victoria…there-there was something that I always wanted to do, but never had the opportunity to do so."

"What is it Victor," Victoria asked gently.

"Well, I-I hope you do not think me a fool, but…" Victor said as he walked over to her side. He took her left hand in his own and bended down on one knee.

"Oh Victor," Victoria gasped in surprise. A look of regret passed through Victor's eyes.

"I do apologize, Victoria. I knew this was silly," Victor said as he began to rise, but Victoria put her hand gently on his shoulder to prevent him from doing so.

"No, no, Victor, it's not silly at all. Please continue," she said. Victor smiled in delight and cleared his throat.

"Victoria," he began, "my entire life, I've never felt that I had anyone who I could truly love and relate with. I felt alone and lost most of the time. But upon meeting you, all of those feeling disappeared, and I finally felt as though I…well…belonged." Victor took in a deep breath before continuing.

"You brought me out of darkness and gave my life a whole new meaning, and for that alone I will love you forever. Victoria….w-will you marry me?"

Tears glistened in Victoria's eyes, and it took her a moment before she could answer him. "Oh Victor…of course I will marry you," she finally said. She gently pulled Victor up to his full height and embraced him tightly. Victor gladly returned the favor and sighed happily, thrilled to know that the rest of his life (and possibly afterlife) would be filled with more moments such as these.

Suddenly, the loud clanging of the church bell interrupted their affectionate moment. Victoria regretfully pulled away from Victor and gently wiped a tear from her eye.

"This is it," she said, her voice full of elation. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready," Victor replied with a smile. He offered Victoria his arm and was about to lead her into the church when she suddenly remembered something.

"Just a minute," she cried as she slipped away from Victor's grasp. Victoria ran over to some bushes lining the church and pulled something out from behind them. It wasn't until she was back at his side that Victor recognized the flowers Emily had tossed to Victoria the night of his near wedding.

"I hid them here a couple of days ago," Victoria explained. "Somehow, the wedding wouldn't feel complete without them." Victor smiled affectionately at her, amazed at what a kind, caring woman she had turned out to be. He offered her his arm once more and together they walked up to the church doors.

"I'll see you inside," Victor told her as he let go of her arm. He kissed her gently on the cheek and walked inside to the head of the church.

"Where have you been," he vaguely heard his mother, Nell Van Dort, cry. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"So like a fish merchant's child, to disappear _five _minutes before his own wedding," Maudeline Everglot said in arrogant disdain.

"Now just what is _that_ supposed to mean," Nell demanded to know.

"Well if I have to explain, I have very well proven my point, now haven't I," she replied, her head held high in a pompous manner.

"Now see here…" Nell said in a threatening tone, which began a string of arguments flying back and forth between both families until none of what any of them were saying was understandable. Victor knew he should do something to intervene, but at the moment he didn't care what was taking place about him. All he could think about was the fact that his wedding was a mere five minutes away…that is, if his parents and future in-laws ceased arguing long enough for it to take place.

"Silence," Pastor Galswells' voice suddenly boomed through the tiny church. Everyone immediately ceased talking and obediently took their seats.

"Now, this wedding shall begin," he announced rather ominously. He nodded to the organ player at the corner of the church, which cued the rather depressing sounding wedding music.

Upon this cue, the men standing at the back of the church opened the doors and Victoria began to slowly make her way down the aisle.

Though Victor had seen her not but five minutes ago, he was still taken away by her beauty, especially with the late sunset light shining about her through the open doors.

"She looks like an angel," Victor whispered unintentionally.

"Silence, fool," Pastor Galswells commanded him. Victor jumped in surprise, but quickly regained his composure and turned his attention back to Victoria.

Once she reached his side, Victor took her hand and began to recite his vows.

"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows," he said as he led her over to the table and lifted the cup that was sitting there. "Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine." He put down the cup and lifted a candle. "With this candle," he recited as he lit it, "I will light your way in darkness." Victor placed the candle in its holder and took out the ring from his pocket. "With this ring, I ask you to be mine."

Victor felt his heart leap in excitement at the fact that he recited his vows perfectly. The hard part was over, which could only mean one thing…

"I now pronounce you man and wife," Pastor Galswells announced. Victor and Victoria looked at each other and smiled ecstatically. "Go in peace," he concluded.

And with that, the wedding was over. After months and months of waiting, Victor and Victoria were officially married in a matter of two minutes. But Victor couldn't have cared less if the wedding had taken two day, as long as the outcome was the same, he was happy.

Victor gazed upon Victoria, his wife, and smiled warmly. He took her by the hand and led her out to the church to the carriage that was waiting to take them to the wedding reception at the Everglot mansion. It was a dreaded affair for them both, but Victor and Victoria knew it was something they had to endure.

After two hours of awkward silence and meaningless speeches, Victor and Victoria were finally free to embark upon their honeymoon. They're destination had remained a mystery until the reception, but as soon they discovered they would spend the next month in an isolated mansion by a lake until their first home could be completed constructed, they were thrilled.

It wasn't until the newlyweds arrived at the mansion when they discovered the awkwardness that had crept in between them. Both knew what was expected of them as recently married people (after immensely uncomfortable conversations with their parents), but neither of them knew how to go about it. After all, they had barely shared their first real kiss that morning. They both agreed that _those _matters would be handled in due time. Instead they spent their time exchanging stories and getting to know each other better.

It wasn't until about two weeks into the honeymoon that the matter which was unmentionable seemed to happen naturally. One kiss led to another and before they knew it, they were lying contently in each others arms. From that moment on, both could feel an indelible bond that had been formed between them. It was as if their two lives, their two very souls become one and they were no longer Victor and Victoria, but the Van Dorts.

The next two weeks seemed to rush by, and before they knew it, it was time to leave the beautiful mansion by the lakeside and head off to their newly constructed home to begin their new life as one.


	2. Jailbird

Barkis Bittern sat at the edge of his tiny bed in his tiny jail cell, rocking back and forth and desperately trying to ignore the lively music that drifted in from the Ball and Socket Pub next door. For months he had had to put up with that awful racket and he was just about at his wit's end.

_Six months, _his head screamed, _for six months I've been locked in this hell hole! All because of that one, little slip up!_

For what seemed like the millionth time (and probably was), Barkis went over the events of the dreadful night that led to his death and imprisonment in jailhouse of the Land of the Dead. He remembered every single detail like it was just yesterday: the look of fear in Victoria's eyes, the feel of her flesh through the thin wedding gown material as he tightened his grasp on her arm, the loud clanging of the swords during his battle with Victor, the bitter taste of the wine…

_The poison wine, _Barkis thought, not able to stop himself from smirking at the irony. What were the odds that just as he was about to make his escape, he would grab a _poisoned _goblet of wine! It was as if fate's sole purpose was to prevent him from obtaining his rightful victory.

Barkis looked down at his cold, blue hands and examined them. God, did he hate his hands! They only served as a reminder to Barkis of his miserable failure. Every time he looked at them he could feel the poisoned wine constricting his veins and stopping his heart. They brought nothing but the memories of being attacked by a mob of the undead and thrown in this tiny prison. Those damned hands…

Tired of staring at his treasonous appendages, Barkis turned his attention to the matter that in the past six months had consumed him: escape. From the moment he was tossed into his cell, Barkis made up his mind that he had to escape somehow. There was no way on earth (or under it) he was going to let them get away with stealing his dreams.

_Or more specifically, _Barkis thought with an evil grin, _there is no way Victoria's going to get away with it._

Barkis reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. He opened it up to reveal the portrait of Victoria that had once hung in one of the halls of the Everglot mansion. He had managed to sneak it out of the house prior to his death just in case he needed it for his ransom plot involving her. Now it sits near his motionless heart and serves as a constant reminder to his plans of revenge.

_After all, _he thought as he gently stroked the picture, _if I can't have what I want, no one can._ Barkis knew that that fool of a man, Victor, would be devastated if anything happened to his beloved Victoria. She would be the perfect subject for the kind of vengeance he had in mind.

_He protected that woman as if she was some sort of precious jewel, _he thought in disgust. _The insolent fool! _Apparently Victor didn't know what Barkis had learned years ago…that life could so easily be taken away.

"But do not fret, my dear," Barkis said out loud to Victoria's portrait, "he will learn soon enough." He cackled to himself at the thought.

"They'll all learn," Barkis shouted as he jumped up from his seat on the bed. "They will all see that Barkis Bittern _never_ leaves empty handed!"

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Hey people! Sorry about this chapter, I know it's short, but I just needed it to establish the fact that Barkis is out for revenge against Victoria (plus I was low on ideas). I promise the next one will be longer! Well, hope this chapter entertained you enough and reviews will be greatly appreciated! Good bye! 


	3. New Homes and New Accomplishments

It didn't take long for Victor and Victoria to settle in to their new home; as a matter of fact, from the moment they stepped in it after arriving back from the honeymoon, they loved it.

Though it wasn't exactly as small a home as they had had in mind, with its six bedrooms, five washrooms, four parlors, two dining rooms, and one large kitchen (and a partridge in a pear tree, Victor jokingly added when he listed off the rooms), it was far from cavernous like their previous homes were. And with its plush furniture and cheery woodwork, it was definitely as cozy as the newlyweds wished it to be.

"Is it to your liking, my dear," Victor asked as he took Victoria by the hand and led her through the house.

"It's all I've ever dreamed," she said in a rather breathless tone as she gazed around the house. Victor smiled in delight.

As they continued their journey through their new home, Victoria noticed that Victor seemed to be avoiding two rooms downstairs just passed the staircase. Before she could question him about it, he led her over to them as if he read her mind.

"I saved these two rooms for last," he explained. "Close your eyes."

"Whatever for," Victoria asked incredulously.

"I want to surprise you. Please, close your eyes," Victor commanded once more. Victoria looked at him quizzically for a second more, but then closed her eyes.

"No peeking," Victor added as he took her by both hand and began to lead her in through the first door.

"I won't," Victoria promised as she giggled slightly. She felt him guide her to what she assumed was the middle of the room and stop her gently.

"Okay, now you can open them," Victor said. Victoria opened her eyes slowly and gasped in delight.

Rather than being in one small single room as she expected, she was in a room conjoined to the room next door by a beautiful archway. In the section of the large room she was standing in were hundreds of books lined on the wall and a sort of parlor setting in the middle. A large wooden cabinet stood open near the fireplace and inside there were dozens of knitting supplies. There was a fireplace at the opposite end of this room and a large elegant rug in the middle of the floor. In the other section of the combined room, there was a lovely grand piano and a desk for sketching. Several pieces of what she recognized as Victor's art work already lined the walls.

As Victoria stood mesmerized, Victor stood by her side and waited until she had had time to view the entire setting. After a few moments, he took her hand once more and began walking her through the large room.

"Before we left, I met with the architects personally and requested this," Victor explained. "I wanted a special place where we could share the things we love to do. See, your can read or sew over here, while I compose music or draw over here."

He paused to study Victoria's reaction. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? Victor, it's incredible," she said with a radiant smile.

"So you do like it then," he asked in a playful tone. Victoria giggled.

"Victor, it's one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me," she said as she turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. Victor gladly returned the gesture.

"How could I ever thank you," she asked.

"I can think of one way," Victor said with a smile as he bent down toward her. Victoria smiled in return and the next thing she knew, their lips met in a loving, passionate kiss.

Once they parted, Victoria rested her head against Victor's chest and just let him hold her, a loving gesture that Victor adored.

"We're going to be very happy here, Victoria," he said after a brief moment of silence.

"I know we are, darling," Victoria responded. "I know we are."

* * *

Barkis ran his hand over the cool leather of the book that was placed before him as he cackled evilly.

"Dark Magic," he read aloud with sheer delight. Finally after months of planning and waiting, he finally had the book he had been seeking for to carry out his act of revenge before him. He ran his hand over the cover once more, not able to get enough of the feel of finally having it in his grasp.

Barkis smiled to himself, proud of himself for successfully carrying out this particular phase of his plan. It certainly hadn't been easy, but with the help of his new found companion, he had been able to accomplish it.

_Annabelle, _Barkis repeated her name in his mind, _what a pretty name._ And it certainly did suit her. Annabelle was a newly deceased young girl, tragically murdered by a couple of desperate thieves. She was young, beautiful and with enough passion for two people, just like Emily, his favorite victim had been. And from the she walked into the jailhouse, Barkis knew she would be his ticket to fulfilling his revenge.

Annabelle had been assigned to look in on him once a week just as a precaution. Barkis knew that he was the only resident of the jailhouse, so he assumed that striking up a conversation with the lovely lady would be no trouble, but it proved to be more difficult than he thought. Before Annabelle had accepted the task of looking in on him, many resident's of the Land of the Dead told her horror stories of his shady past (after all, murdering a beloved bride and attempting to murder two other beloved friends doesn't exactly win a corpse a place with the in crowd). For about two months, she refused to speak to him beyond what was necessary.

But Barkis was determined to carry out his plan, so every time she would check in on him, he would barrage her with compliments and kind words. Finally, after about two and a half months, she began to let her guard down.

It didn't take long after that for Barkis to convince her that he had been framed for those "dreadful" acts that they had accused him of. He managed to persuade her that he would never even dream of harming such wonderful people such as Emily and the Van Dorts. After that, all he had to do was to add compliments and professions of love, and she was his for the manipulating.

After about another three weeks of listening to Annabelle's mindless dribble, Barkis finally found the perfect opportunity to mention his "love" of magic. He claimed that his grandfather used to have dozens of books about all kinds of magic that he used to love to read. Not long after that, Annabelle would come in carrying tons of magic books in her arms for his entertainment. Unfortunately, they were all the wrong kind, until that fateful day…

Barkis recalled that he nearly jumped for joy when he saw her walking down the hall with that big brown book in her arm.

"This was the last one I could find," she had said with a slight pout. "I hope it's to your liking."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll love it, my dear," Barkis had replied, his voice dripping with false adoration. Annabelle had beamed.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't stay long today, but I will be back as soon as I can, darling," she had told him as she began to walk away.

"Until then, my love," Barkis had replied. He recalled the ridiculous look of child-like adoration she had given him before she bounded away, and how he almost felt sorry for the naïve little fool.

"Almost," Barkis said aloud as he now held the precious book in his hands. Now, all his hard work had paid off. He had the perfect book in his hands at last and he was now one step closer to completely his plot. He took a deep breath (or he would if he had had any) to relish the moment. He then slid his fingers under the smooth cover and opened it.

Barkis could almost feel the power coming from the book's content. As a matter of fact, the book seemed to give off an eerie glow. He shuddered in delight before proceeding to flip through the pages.

Barkis spent the next two days absolutely consumed by the book. He was determined to find just the right spell, but page flip after page flip only revealed love spells and anti-love spells, morphing spells, and other meaningless things of that nature.

"More," Barkis seethed, "I need something more!" Barkis wanted something that equaled his rage toward his ex-wife and her wimp of a husband.

When the second day was drawing to a close, Barkis was about ready to give up. But then all of a sudden, he stumbled upon a sinister looking page entitled, "Ein Leben für ein Leben", which in German translated to "A Life for a Life".

Since the entire spell was written in German, it took Barkis a few moments to translate it, but once he did, he could feel the excitement rise up within him. Apparently this spell was so dark that it was only used once by a sorcerer long ago and then was banished forever. It consisted of one person feeding a special poison to the person of their choice, and after saying a few magic words, that person's soul would be lost forever, and the person who fed the poison would gain their lost life back and become invincible.

_If this is true,_ Barkis thought to himself, _then Victoria's would die, and _I _would live forever in her place!_

It took Barkis a few moments to fully grasp the possible outcome of the situation, but once he did, he just couldn't contain himself. He jumped up from his seat at the edge of his bed and began running around his cell and rattling the bars, all the while cackling uncontrollably with sheer elation. He couldn't believe his incredible good fortune. He had actually found the _perfect _spell; the spell that he had only thought possible in his dreams.

Barkis paused from his celebrating to stand in the middle of his cell and look about him. Now all he had to do was escape the bars and walls that confined him.

"But how," he asked himself out loud.

As if on cue, he heard the door to the jailhouse open and Annabelle call out his name.

"Barkis, dear," she called. Barkis smiled a corrupt, conniving little smile.

"Hello again, my dear," he called back. As he heard his new companion approaching, Barkis had a feeling that that which trapped him wouldn't be a problem for much longer.


	4. Chaos

_Well, that was certainly simple enough, _Barkis thought as he strolled nonchalantly out of the jailhouse and into the cool night air. He knew that luring Annabelle into his cell and locking her in wasn't going to prove to be too difficult of a task, but he had no idea it would only take a matter of minutes. All he had to do was fake a very bad headache and she ran right into his cell.

_Poor, foolish little girl, _Barkis thought with a slight grin, _just like all the rest: naïve, little hopeless romantic. I don't think corpses even get headaches!_

Barkis sauntered through the hidden alley ways of the Land of the Dead, whistling a carefree tune, but still sure to be aware of his surroundings. He knew it would be at least noon tomorrow before anyone would realize he was gone, but one could never be too careful.

Speaking of which, Barkis realized he had to start planning his next moves right away, before he was caught out in the open and tossed right back to square one.

_First things first,_ Barkis thought, _I must find a safe house. _He knew that once the residents of the Land of the Dead did discover his disappearance, they would be searching for him fervently. He needed a place to lie low until some of the heat died off. After that, he would be free to execute the next phase of his plan: supplies. He figured it would take but one trip to that old decrepit looking skeletons lair to gather his supplies needed to get to the Land of the Living and complete the spell on him and Victoria.

_Then my revenge will be complete, _Barkis thought with a demented smile, _and everything Victor and Victoria had will belong to me!_

Barkis paused for a moment from his quest for a hideout to take out the crumpled up portrait he had of Victoria and study it. A great, vengeful anger rose within as he gazed upon her pure, pleasant smile.

_We'll see who has the last laugh, my dear, _Barkis thought. _We'll see…_

**

* * *

One Week Later…**

It certainly had proved to be a hectic week for the newlyweds. Apparently settling into a new home and new lives was harder than either of them estimated.

It all started the very first day Victor and Victoria had arrived back from the honeymoon. They had just finished unpacking their belongings and were about to finally relax when each received a telegram informing them that their parents were coming for a visit to see the finished product of their new home…on the same day! Apparently neither Victor's parents nor Victoria's parents bothered to check with each other to schedule different visiting dates (both set of parents agreed on the wedding day that it was best that they not meet beyond what was necessary). Since it was too late to cancel either visit, Victor and Victoria could do nothing but brace themselves for an all-out war between both families.

And they were right to do so. As soon as both sets of parents arrived (by some freakish chance, they arrived at the exact same time), insults and threats flew back and forth. Both sets of parents wanted the other to leave, but both were to prideful to do so. After pleading with them for several minutes, Victor and Victoria managed to convince their respective parents to stay.

After a tour of the house (which was filled with looks of disdain from the Everglots and thoughtless, offensive remarks from the Van Dorts), the rest of the time was spent either sitting in awkward silence or listening to the mothers try to out-do the other with their wedding gifts. It seemed to the newlyweds that the night would never end, but miraculously it did, and their parents finally went home.

The next three days were a little less hectic. Victor began his new job as head of his father's fish market and he had to admit, it wasn't as bad a job as he thought. He had many people helping him learn the tricks of the trade and he found he had a slight knack for making good business decisions (not a large knack, but a knack none the less).

However good he was at his work, Victor always enjoyed going home the best. Victoria would run out of wherever she had happened to be to the foyer to greet him with a smile and a kiss. He would then proudly tell her of the things he was able to accomplish that day. They would then spend the rest of their evening happily reading together or sitting outside in their enormous, lush garden. They even started getting into the habit of going for strolls through the village, arm in arm.

That, however, created a problem of its own. It seemed that though the inhabitants of the village forgave Victor and Victoria for the dead walking the earth incident, but the slightest hint of any abnormal behavior would send their suspicions a flame once again, including happiness. The townspeople had never seen, well, _any_ couple as happy as Victor and Victoria were much less a couple brought together by an arranged marriage. They couldn't believe the newlyweds actually _enjoyed_ each other. It was so uncommon. This, of course, sent more rumors of plagues and evil spirits flying once more. Consequently, the Van Dorts became the most avoided couple in the entire village. Not that they minded, quite the contrary actually. It lifted the pressure of attending dull tea parties and galas. Victor and Victoria were perfectly content being the social outcasts and spending all their time with only each other.

Anyway, that was what Victor affectionately liked to call "peace time", for the very next day, just as him and his wife were getting used to their new little routine, the doorbell rang. Having a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, Victor hesitantly answered the door, and lo and behold, it was his mother. It seemed that in an attempt to finally trump over Victoria's mother's wedding gifts, she "generously" decided to hire a small servant staff to assist the newlyweds. Since they discovered that Victoria had no domestic skills (Victor had found her a couple of days ago standing in the middle of a completely disastrous kitchen covered in flour from head to toe, apparently after attempting to surprise him by cooking dinner), they had no choice but to accept Nell Van Dort's wedding gift.

So for the next two days, Victor and Victoria tried their best to deal with their new staff. But they soon discovered that when Victor's mother said she had hired a new staff for them, she meant she had scraped the bottom of the barrel to find the cheapest staff possible. The two young ladies and the older man she had hired for them were absolutely impossible to handle.

The first young lady, whom they had put in charge of the kitchen and the meals, had even worse culinary skills than Victoria. She managed to burn every single meal they ate. The Van Dorts tried to give her a chance, but after she gave Victor food poisoning, she was out.

The second young lady was put in charge of cleaning, but that decision was a dire mistake. The newlyweds soon discovered that she was perhaps the one person on earth who was clumsier than Victor. She managed to break a countless number of vases, wax the floor to wear no one could walk on it without falling (Victor discovered that the hard way), and cause more stains than she cleaned up. Victor and Victoria had no choice but to let her go.

The older man was Victor's least favorite, however. From the moment he stepped into the house, he seemed to have to great an interest in Victoria. He soon appointed himself personal servant to her and insisted on being the one to assist her with her coats when she left, help her onto the carriage, and bring her anything she requested at any time of the day. Not wanting to appear like a jealous husband, Victor could do nothing but sit back and silently fume. But as soon as Victoria voiced her uneasiness about the man's attention, Victor couldn't fire him fast enough.

After that disastrous situation, Victor and Victoria decided that it would be best if they picked out servants for themselves. They searched extensively and finally stumbled across a nice, older couple and their cousinwho had been looking for work as a trio for years but no one had been willing to hire them. Victor and Victoria took a liking to all three of them instantly, and by the end of the week, the three of them were all moved in and officially part of the Van Dort staff.

After that, things finally started to settle down once again. Victor and Victoria were beginning to fall back into their comfortable routine again, and the newly hired staff was quickly becoming part of the family.

Now, as Victor sits in his studio (as he liked to call it) and watches Victoria busily knit away, he sighs contently.

"Things will get better know," he whispers. "I just know it."

"What was that, dear," Victoria asked from across the room.

"Nothing darling," Victor responds quickly, not realizing that he said that aloud. He smiles at her and quickly returns back to the artwork at hand, confident in and completely content with his new life.


	5. D Day

Barkis hurried through the empty streets of the Land of the Dead, carrying his rather large and heavy satchel of supplies and potions, fearful of being caught yet still smiling to himself. After a week of hiding patiently and secretly watching the occupants of the Land of the Dead search frantically for him, he had finally decided it was time to come out and execute the next phase of his plan.

So in the dead of night (figuratively speaking), Barkis had crept out of his hiding place and had made his way to Elder Guttenberg's, or whatever his name was, lair.

Once there, it hadn't taken much for Barkis to get the old skeleton to hand over the supplies Barkis would need to carry out his dastardly deeds. One threat of crushing him into nothing but dust and the feeble bag of bones had complied with Barkis' every command.

Now, as he raced through the streets and alleys, Barkis knew that it would be a very short while before everyone in town knew he had been at the old skeleton's tower, if they didn't know already. He had to find a secluded spot to perform the spell to get to the Land of the Living, and he needed to find one fast.

Barkis ran and ran for what seemed like hours to him before he reached a dark alley between two buildings that seemed to have been abandoned for centuries. He ducked into the alley and headed for the very end. Once there, he dropped to his knees and set up for his spell.

Barkis could feel his palms begin to perspire as he completed the set up and prepared to recite the spell. He knew it called for exact precision if he wanted the spell to be permanent. If not, Barkis would be sucked back involuntarily to the Land of the Dead.

_And we can't have that, _Barkis thought. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Lassen Sie mich Überkreuzung," he began to chant slowly. "Lassen Sie mich Überkreuzung!"

At the pronunciation of the last word, Barkis could feel a strange, strong force surround him and the earth seemingly spin about him. He continued to chant the spell until the feeling disappeared as quickly as it came and everything stood perfectly still. He slowly opened his eyes and gasped when he saw he was surrounded by trees and moonlight. The Land of the Living…

"It worked," Barkis whispered. "I'm here." He jumped up from his kneeling position and began doing uncharacteristic spins about the clearing he was standing in, bathing in the moonlight that he hadn't seen in so long.

Suddenly he realized what he was doing and abruptly stopped himself. He cleared his throat in embarrassment and straightened his cravat. He had to get a hold of himself and take in his surroundings.

One quick sweep of the place and Barkis immediately recognized where he was. He was in that clearing in the woods just outside of town, the same clearing where he did away with his favorite victim, Emily. Though very coincidental, it seemed somewhat…_fitting_ for him to arrive there.

Barkis turned around and gathered the rest of his supplies. By the look of the sky, it would be daylight soon. He had to find the residence of the newlyweds before daybreak or it would put a delay in his revenge plans, something that he simply couldn't stand, not even if that delay was only a second.

_Today's the day_, Barkis thought with ever-mounting excitement as he trudged through the snow towards town. _Today, everything they have that's rightfully mine will belong to me once and for all._

* * *

Victor stretched lazily in his bed like a cat. He knew it wouldn't be long before the maid would come in and urge him to get up, but he couldn't help but revel in his few minutes of leisure before starting the day.

Victor turned over on his side and came within inches of his wife's face. He smiled as the familiar feelings he always felt when he looked at her rise within him. Oh, did he love her so…

As he thought these thoughts, Victor got the irrepressible urge to kiss her. He tried to fight it for fear of disturbing her, but he just couldn't help it. She looked so peaceful and lovely as she slept.

Not able to resist any longer, Victor slowly leaned in toward her and softly kissed her rosy lips. He hoped it wasn't enough to wake her, but alas, it was. Victoria stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered opened. She smiled when she caught sight of him.

"Is it time to get up," she asked him sleepily.

"Not just yet darling," Victor responded with a smile as he scooted closer to her. "I'm sorry to wake you."

"It's alright, dear," Victoria replied as she closed the distance between them and wrapped Victor's arms around her. She closed her eyes again and soon her breathing began to slow. Victor smiled in amusement.

"Victoria," he called softly.

"Hmmm," Victoria replied, only half-awake.

"Are you sleeping," he asked.

"No darling, I'm just resting my eyes," she answered, still with her eyes closed.

"You are to sleeping," Victor said with a chuckle.

"Am not," Victoria replied defensively, yet still with her eyes closed.

"Victoria, you are aware that we will have to get up soon, aren't you," he asked.

"Yes I am."

"Then why are you still sleeping?"

"I'm not sleeping."

"Then why are you're eyes closed?"

"I told you, they're resting. I'm just resting with them." At this, Victor couldn't help but laugh.

"Darling, open your eyes and get up," Victor told her.

"Five more minutes, darling," she replied. Victor rolled his eyes and leaned in towards her. He began applying gentle yet consistent kisses on various parts of her face. He kept it up until Victoria couldn't help but smile and open your eyes.

"Alright darling, I'm awake," she said with a loving smile.

"Are you sure," Victor asked playfully.

"Well…" Victoria replied with a coy smile. She then leaned in and gave Victor a peck on the lips. Victor responded whole-heartedly and soon he was lost in the warmth of her kiss.

Just then Mary, one of the new servants they hired, walked into the bedroom, catching Victor and Victoria by surprise. They quickly separated and sat up in their bed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort," Mary apologized, trying to conceal a smile that threatened her lips. "I, uh, was just coming in to make sure you were up."

"It's-it's perfectly alright, Mary," Victor replied, clearing his throat in embarrassment and smiling sheepishly. "We were just about to get up."

An awkward moment of silence passed as the three just stared at each other.

"We'll be down for breakfast shortly," Victor finally said. Mary nodded, no longer able to hold in the smile. She couldn't help but giggle slightly as she exited the room.

Victor could feel his cheeks turn slightly pink as he turned and looked at Victoria, whose eyes were dancing with amusement.

"Well," Victor said, "I think we should get up now." He threw back the covers and headed for the washroom that connected to their bedroom. As he closed the door behind him, he could have sworn he could hear laughing coming from his bedroom. He opened the door slightly and looked at Victoria, who was still sitting in bed.

"Were you just laughing, my dear," he asked.

"Of course not, darling," she replied, her voice breaking slightly in laughter. Victor smiled knowingly.

"Get up," he urged her with a laugh. Victoria nodded, not bothering to hide her laughter any longer. Victor closed the door and shook his head good-naturedly. So far it had started out to be a very interesting day.

* * *

About an hour later, Victor and Victoria were dressed and just finished with breakfast. Victor headed for the foyer to gather his coat and hat, with Victoria close behind him.

"Have a good day at work, darling," Victoria told him as she helped him on with his coat.

"I'll try, dear," Victor responded playfully as he placed his hat on top of his hat. He leaned in and gave Victoria a quick kiss.

"I love you," he told her as he turned and opened the door.

"I love you too, dear," she responded as she watched him walk out the door and down the steps toward the carriage. "Do hurry home!"

"Always, my love," he replied back as he climbed into the carriage. He waved goodbye to her until she was no longer in sight. He then turned around and faced forward, not able to help but think about what a charmed life he led. Victor had a feeling that it was going to be a wonderful day.

* * *

Barkis watched with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as the love-sick couple bid each other loving farewells. Even though the alley he was hiding in was too far away for him to hear what they were saying, he could imagine what foolishly romantic words they were exchanging. It disgusted him.

His spirits lifted, however, as he watched the ninny ride away in his carriage, leaving his young wife all alone. Barkis figured it was the perfect time for him to execute the last phase of his plan: complete revenge. He smiled a conniving smiled and reveled in the moment a bit before slowly creeping out of his concealed area and making his way towards the Van Dort resident.

He was about fifty feet away from the door when all of a sudden, an elderly woman came out the door and began to sweep the front steps. Barkis frantically ducked behind a nearby bush and crouched motionlessly until the woman returned inside. He straightened himself up and quickly returned to the alley he had been hiding in.

_Curses, _Barkis thought angrily, _the fools must have hired a staff of servants._ Barkis realized there was no way he could enter the house undiscovered with servants scurrying about. He would have to wait until later in the evening when most servants retired to their rooms.

Barkis let out sort of a growl out of frustration as he tried to make himself comfortable in the dark alley. He sighed and tried to calm himself down, figuring that if he had waited this long, he could certainly wait a couple more hours.

_It won't be long now, _he kept repeating in his head. _It won't be long now…_


	6. Of All the Days to Be Late

Barkis awoke with a start from his hiding place in the alley nearby the Van Dort household. He had thought he had just closed his eyes for a second or two, but one glance at his pocket watch told him he had been asleep for hours.

_Apparently I dozed off, _he thought drowsily. He stretched to work out his sore limbs and yawned. Obviously being dead didn't make him impervious to one of his least favorite signs of weakness: fatigue.

Barkis got up slowly got up and walked to the end of the alley to analyze the current situation. He peeked out from around the corner to study the Van Dort residence and didn't realize until then how late in the evening it was already. All the lights in the house were off except one.

_This could be good, _Barkis thought excitedly. _It could mean the young bride is up all alone, waiting up for her fool of a husband._

This possibility gave Barkis the incentive he needed to once again leave his refuge and try his luck at entering the newlywed's home. Slowly but surely, he crept out from the alley yet again and made his way over to the mansion.

Once he reached the front steps, he stalled for a second, fearing that he predicted wrong and the same incident that happened earlier in the day would repeat itself. Once nothing happened, Barkis continued his mission.

He reached the landing undiscovered and peeked in through the window nearest to the door. He could see his ex-wife, Victoria sitting on a settee in the parlor by a roaring fire, busily sewing away some sort of scarf. By the looks of it, she was upset about something, because she would look out the window Barkis was spying through from time to time (which annoyed him greatly) with a mixture of worry and impatience on her face. Barkis scanned the house further for signs of servants, but all he saw was Victoria alone in the parlor and an abandoned candlelight dinner waiting in the dining room in the back.

_Her precious little spouse must be late, _Barkis figured. _Perfect, _he thought cunningly. Now, Barkis could waltz right in and pretend to be her husband arriving home from work. She would foolishly come running out to greet him and before she realized it wasn't her beloved, it would be too late.

At that thought, Barkis couldn't help himself. He let out a quiet, sinister laugh. Things were going quite well.

_Quite well indeed…_

* * *

Victoria sighed in frustration as she unraveled yet another piece of the scarf she was knitting and started over again. Usually she was a very good seamstress, but tonight her impatience caused her to be careless. And the fact that the staff had retired to their rooms and she was all alone in the large mansion didn't help matters.

_Where is Victor, _she thought with some annoyance. _Where could he be?_

It was the first night he had been late coming home since they were married, and he had to pick that night of all nights. It was a very special occasion.

_Well, at least to me it is, _Victoria thought. Earlier in the morning, as she was sitting in the garden socializing with their staff, she had realized that her and Victor had been married exactly one month that day. The second she had discovered that, she began bustling around the house preparing for a special surprise for Victor. She had her staff clean the dining room and prepare for an elegant romantic meal for just the two of them. As they were taking care of that, Victoria scrutinized for an hour at her fabrics before picking the softest, loveliest fabric she had and knitting a scarf for Victor. She worked hard for the rest of the day without giving a thought to the time. Until now…

Victoria glanced at the grandfather clock that sat at the opposite end of the room for what had to be the millionth time. It read nine o'clock.

_Where could he be, _she thought again, now more worried than annoyed.

Victoria sighed once more and looked down at her task at hand. She frowned slightly and realized something felt strange about the scarf. Victoria picked it up by its ends, stretched out in front of her, and gasped when she realized how long she had unintentionally made it. Victor would have to wrap it around his neck about ten times if he ever hoped to keep it on.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Victoria said out loud in frustration, this time giving up completely. She was obviously too tired and distracted to continue working on her husband's gift down in the parlor. She figured she might as well undress and repair the damage she had done in bed. She gathered her knitting supplies in her arms and began to carry them up to her room, but not before taking one last look out the window.

_Please hurry home Victor, _she pleaded silently with him. _Please hurry home._

* * *

Barkis watched as Victoria climbed the stairs dejectedly and disappeared into one of the many rooms, making it all the more easier for Barkis to just walk right into the large mansion.

_This couldn't be going better than if I had planned it this way, _Barkis thought happily. He jumped to his feet with new found energy and walked over to the front door. He took a deep breath (more out of habit than necessity) and put his hands on the cool brass doorknob. _This is it, _he thought excitedly, _the turning point that would change two lives and end one._ He tried to take in every detail of the moment as he twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Barkis stepped into the mansion with a sort of childish, gleeful smile on his face, being sure to audibly shut the door behind him to lure the young bride out of her room. His planned ultimately worked, for soon he heard a door on the second floor open and the rapid clicking of heels on the floor.

Barkis stayed as quiet as possible and waited for the young woman to appear. _Oh how I've longed for this moment_ _and it's finally here, _he thought._ Let the revenge begin!_

* * *

Victoria had just finished changing into her nightdress when she heard the front door close distinctly.

_Victor, _she thought as her heart leaped with joy. She quickly slipped on her robe and shoes and ran out of her room to the hall. She ran down the long corridor and quickly began to descend the staircase.

"Victor? Victor, darling, where have you…" Victoria began to say as she was halfway down, but as she reached the landing she realized something was wrong. She could only see the silhouette of the person standing in the foyer, but she could immediately tell it wasn't her husband. She opened her mouth to ask who it was, but before she could, the person stepped out from the shadows and revealed themselves.

Victoria literally felt her heart skip a beat and her entire body constrict in fear when she caught sight of the person. She tried to speak, but her throat closed up immediately, making it difficult for her to breath.

"Barkis," she finally managed to say, though it was barely audible. She felt her stomach churn as he stepped forward once more and smiled a familiar, snake-like smile.

"Hello, my dear."


	7. Intrusion

"Wh-wh-what…" Victoria attempted to say, but she couldn't seem to find the courage amidst the shock.

"Forgive the intrusion, my dear, but your home just seemed so….inviting," Barkis interrupted her, still smiling that sick, twisted smile of his. Victoria swallowed hard.

"How did you get here," she finally managed to say.

"How did I get here," Barkis answered with a question. "That, darling, is a very good question. You see, once I was thrown in jail, I had a lot of time to think about the events that led me to my imprisonment, and I began to realize that you were indeed, the one to blame. Well, I couldn't very well let you get away with that, so for the next six months I began to plot my revenge against you. I guess you can say it consumed me," Barkis explained calmly, as if he was describing what he had for breakfast to her. Victoria thought she was going to be sick.

"Well, it took some doing, but I finally managed to find just the right way to gain said revenge and escape the jail to fulfill it. After that I gathered a few supplies and performed a few spells and well, here I am," he concluded with a very nonchalant shrug. Victoria had to take a deep breath to keep from fainting. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye, she spotted on a table next to the staircase a huge vase full of thorny flowers. Slowly she began to form a plan in her mind.

"But why me," she asked in a shaky voice, hoping it would lead him into another monologue.

"Why you," Barkis asked incredulously. "Why you! Why not you is the more appropriate question! You were supposed to be an easy target, Victoria! You were supposed to provide me the funds I needed to move on to my next victim! But instead, what do you bring me! Death," he screamed at her. Meanwhile, Victoria slowly began to inch her way closer and closer to the table.

"Everything was working out perfectly," Barkis continued. "Perfectly, until you revealed that you were poor! And then you had the nerve to run out on me to seek out that twit of a husband of yours!"

"I still don't see why that makes me the cause of your demise," Victoria interrupted him in an attempt to lead him into yet another speech.

"You led me to the church," he screamed, causing her to jump in surprise. Apparently, her planned worked. "You caused the duel between your husband and myself, you led me to that poisoned goblet of wine, you, you, you! If everything had gone according to my plan in the first place, you would be dead and I would be rich! But you had to go off and spoil it all! Don't you see, Victoria! You're the one that's supposed to be dead!"

Victoria couldn't stand one more moment of his ranting. She reached for the vase and hurled it at Barkis as hard as she could. The vase shattered about him, causing Barkis to stumble backwards from the surprise of the blow. Taking advantage of his momentary weakness, Victoria turned around and bolted up the stairs, but it didn't take long for Barkis to recover from the shock and take off after her.

With the head start she had on him, however, Victoria managed to make it to her bedroom before he could reach her. She slammed and locked the door, leaning against it for a second or two to catch her breath. Then, still breathing heavily, she ran over to the glass doors that led to the balcony and tried to open them. But she soon discovered they had been locked from the outside.

"Oh please open," she pleaded with the doors as she tried them once more, but it was to no avail. She whirled around in frustration and gasped when she came face to face with Barkis.

"Next time you try to barricade yourself in a room, love, make sure _all_ the doors are locked," Barkis said as he pointed to the door to the washroom. Victoria mentally kicked herself when she realized she forgot that the washroom also had a door that could be accessed from the hall.

"Now, where were we," Barkis asked sinisterly as he began making his way closer to her. Victoria backed up as far as she could until her back pressed against the cool glass of the balcony doors. He was about to grab for her when they heard the sound of the front door closing.

_Victor, _Victoria thought, her heart leaping for joy within her. She could see the look of panic on Barkis' face, making her realize that soon he would try to prevent her from getting his attention. She had just one chance…

At that thought, Victoria opened her mouth and let out one of the loudest screams she had ever screamed in her life. She was soon cut off, however, by Barkis, who put his hand over her mouth and grabbed her arm roughly. He wrenched her arm behind her back and began to pull her way towards the washroom. She tried to make herself as heavy as possible to slow him down, but the pain in her arm was so intense, she had no choice to comply. She tried to catch her breath several times, but Barkis' hand over her mouth was making it very difficult for her. Between the pain and the lack of oxygen, Victoria could slowly but surely feel herself slipping into darkness. Through the pain, however, she could distinctly hear Victor's footsteps bounding up the stairs and her name being called.

"The fool! He'll ruin everything," Barkis said in annoyance. That annoyance, however, was quickly replaced with a look of worry as he maneuvered Victoria to a sort of position where her arms were immobile and he could still have a hand over her mouth; from a distance it would have looked like he was dipping her. With his free hand, Barkis reached into his pocket and pulled out a vile of a suspicious looking liquid. Victoria's eyes widened with fear as he removed the cap of the vile and took his hand away from her mouth. He then tipped the vile towards her lips and tried to force her to drink its contents.

Knowing that whatever was in that vile couldn't be anything good, Victoria pursed her lips tightly to prevent the liquid from entering her mouth.

"Drink it," Barkis demanded, but Victoria just shook her head in protest. He continued to try to force her to drink, but she continued to resist, all the while wondering where her husband was.

_Hurry Victor, _she thought with desperation. _Please hurry!_

* * *

A few minutes earlier…..

Victor eyed his pocket watch impatiently as he bounced along in the carriage ride that was taking him home. He wished his horse would go faster; he was late enough as it was, but he knew the driver was already going fast enough. Any faster and they would run the risk of capsizing.

_I hope Victoria's not _too _upset with me, _Victor thought nervously. He knew it wasn't like him to be late, but some confusion had arose with one of the orders just as he was about to leave. He had no choice but to stay behind and sort it out.

_It just had to be today of all days, _Victor thought with slight annoyance. He wanted so much to spend that special evening with his beloved wife.

Victor looked at his feet and eyed the flowers and small necklace he had bought to surprise her with when he got home. He had realized earlier that week that that day was going to be his and Victoria's one month anniversary that day and, even though he realized it was somewhat foolish to celebrate being married for as little time as a month, he couldn't help but see it as a special occasion. After all, it had been the happiest month of his life.

Victor nearly leapt out of his seat when he first spotted his house down the road. He was finally home! He gathered the flowers and the jewelry box that contained the necklace in his arms out of impatient anticipation. He couldn't wait to see the look on Victoria's face when he presented her with the gifts.

As soon as the carriage stopped in front of his house, Victor jumped out and bounded up the stairs and through the front door. He closed it behind him distinctly and waited for Victoria to come running out as she usually did. When nothing happened, Victor could immediately sense that something was wrong.

Victor began to walk over to the table by the staircase when he heard a crunching sound beneath his feet. He looked down to find the shattered remains of the vase that had been on that table. He sidestepped the debris and put his gifts down on the table, a look of worry etched on his face. He was about to go searching for his wife when he was nearly frightened to death by the sound of a blood-curdling scream, which was abruptly cut off a few seconds later.

"Victoria," Victor called out with fear. "Victoria!" He knew he distinctly heard the scream coming from upstairs, so he ran up the stairs as fast as his legs would take him and began searching frantically for the source of the scream.

After having no luck with the other rooms, Victor finally came to his and Victoria's bedroom door. He listened intently and could make out the sounds of scuffling coming from within. He gathered all his courage and burst into the room, ready and willing to fight whatever he came up against, but the sight before him stopped him dead in his tracks. There was his wife with a look of great fear on her face, attempting to be forced to drink something in a vile by none other than…

"Barkis!"

* * *

Barkis paused from his struggle with Victoria when he saw the bedroom door fly open and Victoria's ninny of a husband appear with a look of complete shock on his face. The twit exclaimed his name, but Barkis barely heard it. Screams of panic from within him flooded his ears.

_Stupid fool! He ruined everything, _Barkis thought. _It's not finished yet! Stupid, stupid fool!_

Though it pained him greatly, Barkis realized he couldn't complete his revenge with the husband present. He quickly recapped the vile and returned it to his pocket.

Still refusing to leave empty-handed, however, Barkis had to do something, _anything_ that would constitute as some sort of revenge against the Van Dorts. So, channeling all his anger into hand, he returned Victoria to a standing position and slapped her as hard as he could across the cheek with the back of his hand. He watched with satisfaction as the force of the blow sent her flying backwards and causing her to land with a thud face down on the ground. Barkis then whirled around and crashed through one of the doors that led to the balcony. He leapt of the balcony, landing perfectly on his feet, and cast one last look of pure hatred toward the house before disappearing into the night.

* * *

Victor ran over to Victoria, who was lying motionless on the floor.

"Victoria," he called out to her with panic. He turned her over to where she was lying on her back and delicately stroked her face.

"Oh Victoria, please wake up," he pleaded with her. He began to shake her gently, but it was to no avail. He knew he had to get help.

With tears of fear gathering in his eyes, Victor put one arm under Victoria's knees and his other arm under her back and scooped her up into his arms. He was carrying her over to lay her on the bed when the servants, who had been asleep in their rooms at the far opposite end of the house, came to inquire about the commotion they had heard. All gasped when they caught sight of the master with his wife in his arms. Victor turned to them wildly.

"Christian," he said, addressing the male member of the staff, "take the carriage and fetch the doctor," Victor told him. Christian stared at Victor for a moment more, very confused as to what was happening.

"Quickly," Victor added. At that, Christian snapped out of his reverie and ran out the house. Meanwhile, Victor gently laid Victoria in their bed.

"Mary, I need a wet cloth of some sort to put on her head," he told the girl who had interrupted them that morning. He turned to the remaining servant, Susan, and commanded her to get some smelling salts. Both nodded obediently and quickly went to fulfill their duties. Victor turned his attention back to his wife and knelt by her bedside.

"Victoria," he said to her as he took her hand in his, "please wake up! Please!"

When she offered no response, Victor leaned his head against her hand and there he stayed to wait for the doctor, all the while praying earnestly that she would be alright.


	8. Doctor's Diagnosis

About half an hour later, Doctor Wadsworth, whom had been Victoria's physician ever since she was a child, had arrived and was busy examining her careful. Meanwhile, Victor impatiently pace back and forth across the bedroom floor, preparing himself for the worst, though he was finding it quite impossible to do so. As soon as the doctor left his wife's side, Victor nearly pounced on the man.

"How is she," he asked immediately, feeling his heart race with fear. The doctor smiled a comforting, sort of fatherly smile and patted Victor reassuringly.

"She's going to be fine, my boy," the doctor told him. "There was no sign of trauma to the head and her vitals were normal. She probably fainted from the shock of the attack more than anything else."

Victor let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding and smiled. "That certainly is good to hear."

"Yes," Dr. Wadsworth agreed. "She is going to have quite a noticeable bruise on her cheek, however. Who would you say did this to her, if you don't mind my asking?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Victor replied.

"I've seen a lot more than you think, young man," the old doctor said in a wise voice. "Try me." Victor sighed.

"Barkis Bittern."

"Barkis Bittern," the doctor cried incredulously. "Do you mean Barkis Bittern, her deceased first husband!"

"Yes sir," Victor replied.

"My, that is quite a shocker," Dr. Wadsworth said as he shook his head in disbelief. "Why, if I wasn't around that night of your near wedding to that lovely corpse, I wouldn't believe it!" Victor could think of nothing to say, so instead he just smiled politely. Dr. Wadsworth glanced over at Victoria, who was still sleeping in her bed.

"It's a shame this had to happen to such a lovely woman," the doctor said sadly. "You know, out of all my patients, she has to be my favorite." He leaned in a little closer to Victor. "Don't let this get out, but I think most people in this town are just too self-absorbed and cold." Dr. Wadsworth smiled a reminiscent smile. "She was the only one you seemed truly…extraordinary."

"I know what you mean," Victor agreed with the man as he gazed upon Victoria. He turned to the doctor and smile gratefully. "Thank you very much, doctor. I truly appreciate all that you did tonight." Victor took the old physician's hand and shook it warmly.

"Your welcome, my boy," he replied. "Oh! And before I forget, here," he said as he pulled out a tiny package of white powder from his bad and handed it to Victor.

"It's a sort of sleeping potion. You see, when some people undergo a traumatic experience, such as attacks from their evil husbands who were supposed to be dead, they may experience nervousness which may lead to insomnia. If Victoria ever has trouble sleeping, just mix this in with some sort of drinking liquid and it will help her get to sleep. And don't worry about it being to strong, I used very little amounts of the chemicals that actually induce sleep and the liquid it has to be mixed into will dilute it further."

"Thank you doctor, you're very kind," Victor said to him as he slipped the package into the pocket of his jacket. Dr. Wadsworth smiled once more.

"So I've been told," he said good-naturedly as he turned to leave. "Goodbye, young man. Take care of yourself, and be sure to take of my favorite patient as well."

"I will," Victor assured him. And with that, the doctor opened the door and walked out of the bedroom. Victor smiled after him. It was nice to know that there were in fact people out there who still cared for him and his wife. Now he knew why Victoria always spoke of him so fondly.

_I'm so glad she's alright, _he thought as he returned to Victoria's bedside. _I don't know what I would have done if…_

Victor shook his head to clear himself of that thought. It was just too horrible to bear. He wished she would wake up to give him some reassurance of her well-being.

As if she heard his thoughts, Victoria began to whimper slightly and stir. Her eyes then fluttered open and she sat up quickly in her bed. She looked around frantically before spotting him.

"Victor," she cried in a relieved manner. Victor immediately sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Oh Victoria, Victoria, I'm so glad you're alright," he told her as he held her close for encouragement. He was stunned however, when he could feel her entire body trembling. He gathered her closer.

"Victoria, darling, what is the matter," he asked worriedly.

"Oh Victor," she said in a fearful voice. "It-it was Barkis!"

"I know darling, I know," Victor replied in a slightly cooing manner. He gently began to rock her in his arms to provide some sort of comfort to her.

"He-he was supposed to be dead! It was all supposed to be over! But now, now he's coming after me," she cried as tears brimmed her eyes.

"I know darling, but you mustn't be frightened. I will not let him lay another hand on you," he reassured her.

"You don't understand," she cried. "He's never going to stop! He's gone mad with thoughts of revenge and he finds me at fault! He will not be happy until he completes his quest! He'll take me away!" At these words, Victor froze. He looked down at her with disbelief and shook his head.

"No! No, he can't, darling! He can't take you away. I won't let him," Victor said as more of a reassurance to himself. Victoria nodded in disagreement, tears now rolling freely down her cheeks.

"He will! He'll take me away from you! We'll be parted forever," she said between sobs. She held Victor tighter and buried her head deep within his chest, as if he would slip away from her any second. Victor could think of nothing more to say. All he could do was hold her close and sit in silent disbelief.

_She's right, _he realized with a feeling of the up most horror. _If revenge is what Barkis wants, he won't stop until he completes it. Oh good Lord, then what is to come?_

Victor continued to hold Victoria the same way and gently stroke her hair for about a half an hour before he realized she had fallen asleep. He gently laid her down on the bed and after a quick change, laid down and joined her side. He then closed his eyes and attempted to sleep, knowing perfectly well that nightmares would plague him from then on.


	9. Seeking Justice

After about a half an hour of running through the shadows and ducking to avoid discovery by the townsfolk, Barkis had finally managed to make it through the small town and back to the clearing in the woods where he had arrived. He fell to his knees and breathed heavily (though he knew perfectly well that it was unnecessary).

Now that all was quiet again, Barkis' mind couldn't help but wander back to the events that had just taken place…and how horribly wrong his plan had gone.

"No," he exclaimed out loud, knowing that those thoughts were libel to throw him off focus and drive him mad. "I can't think about it! I won't!"

Barkis desperately tried to rip his thoughts away from his failure and back to thoughts of revenge, but as he gazed around, his eyes landed on his cold, blue hands. Again, they did nothing but serve as a reminder of his second failure.

_Treasonous appendages, _he thought again, _they shouldn't still be blue! I should be a living person by now! Why are they still blue!_

Slowly but surely, his anger began to overwhelm him once more. Not able to take it any longer, Barkis jumped up from his knees and let out a growl of frustration.

"Curse you, Van Dorts," he cried through the still night air. Finally, he lost it. He began stalking through the forest and anything that he stepped on or came face to face with, insect, bush, flower, whatever it may be, he would beat to a pulp. He kicked and clawed away at the trees that surrounded him and any animal that dared to come near him, he would scream incoherent frustrations at until the creature would scurry away in fright.

After a few more minutes of ranting and raving, Barkis finally felt the better part of his rage release. He returned to the clearing he had arrived at and sat down on a stump calmly as if nothing had happened.

"Now," he said reasonably, "what to do next…" He stood up once more and slowly began to pace back in forth in the clearing. He knew that his original plan was no longer an option. The Van Dorts would more than likely be on high guard now. He had to find some alternative way to enter the house when Victoria was alone and vulnerable. But how?

In need of some inspiration, Barkis removed his satchel from its hiding place in the stump, pulled out the book of Dark Magic and placed it in his lap. He ran his fingers over the smooth cover once more and tried to get a feel of that power he had felt before. Suddenly, it came to him.

"The book," he cried out in excitement. He could use the book as a decoy. Slowly, a brilliantly evil plan began to take shape in his mind. As everything began to click, Barkis smiled a vile grin and let out sort of a cackle.

"It's fool proof," he concluded. "They'll never know what's coming!" With new found hope, he arose and bounded off toward his hiding place in the alley, anxiously anticipating his opportunity to carry out his new masterful plan.

* * *

The next couple of days in the Van Dort household were nothing if not unbearable. Anticipation of new attacks absolutely consumed the residents, leading to nothing to tension and misery. No one could enjoy the same things they used to as long as there was the possibility that Barkis would return once more.

But if everyone in the house was suffering that much, it was twice as worse for poor Victoria. Since the attack, she had become a nervous wreck. She refused to be left alone in the house and would spend hours on end locked in her and Victor's special room, the only place in the house where she felt safe. She hardly ate and only slept a restless, nightmare ridden sleep when given Dr. Wadsworth special sleeping potion, causing her to feel weak and listless the remainder of the day. And though she was usually a happy person, no one had seen her smile in days.

Now, as Victor stood in the threshold of their bedroom and watched her toss and turn in her sleep, he felt a pang of guilt stab at his heart.

_This is my fault, _he thought. _If I hadn't run off like a coward to the woods that night, I would have never disappeared and she would have never married Barkis. None of this would be happening._

"I'm so sorry, my darling," he whispered to her as she slept. As if in response, Victoria calmed down for a brief moment before continuing her tossing and turning.

_No, _Victor suddenly thought. _I mustn't think such things. I can't let guilt distract me. I must be there for Victoria. She needs me. _

Victor sighed and leaned his head against the frame of the door. He couldn't bear to see his beloved wife suffer like she was, and all at the hands of that treacherous murderer.

_That sick, treacherous murderer, _he thought. _How dare he do this to us? How dare he do this to her?_

Suddenly, instead of feeling guilt, Victor began to feel anger rise within him, an anger that he had never felt before in his entire life. He could use this anger.

_That's what I need, _he slowly began to realize. _Anger! Anger will help me stop this mad man. I need to get angrier._

Victor closed his eyes and began to picture all the moments he was his angriest. His thoughts began to drift back to that night at the church and the moment where Barkis kicked him down to the ground and was about to stab him with the sword. He remembered feeling intense anger towards the man for attempting to end his life and stealing him away from all that he cared about.

The bypassed that thought and began to recall another moment, where he and the rest of the church discovered that Barkis was none other than the man who had murdered a dear friend, Emily. He recalled feeling angry at him for snatching away the life of such a beautiful person.

But it was the next moment he remembered that filled him with the greatest rage, the moment when Barkis dared to put his hand on his sweet Victoria. Victor recollected how greatly he repulsed as he tightened his grasp on Victoria's arm and put the blade to her throat. The fear in Victoria's eyes as she pleaded with him to save her had been more than he could bear. Victor had never hated anyone before, but at that moment, Barkis had called up all the hatred Victor could muster.

Now, as Victor opened his eyes and gazed upon the bruise on Victoria's cheek that Barkis left, he could feel that same anger double over.

_He can't get away with this, _Victor thought with clenched fists. _He simply cannot be running free after what he has done._

Filled with thoughts of vengeance and justice, Victor whirled around and made his way downstairs. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stop Barkis alone, so he began making plans to return to some friends who would be able to help him. He would have to go back…to the Land of the Dead.

As Victor entered the foyer and began putting on his hat and coat, he could feel his sense of determination rise within him. Barkis may cut a dear friends life short and scarred his beloved wife, but there was no way he was attaining his revenge.

_There is no way he is taking my Victoria away from me, _Victor thought,_ not if I have anything to say about it. He will be stopped!_

Victor put his hand on the doorknob and was about to depart, but he realized that he was about to leave without leaving anyone any knowledge to where he was disappearing to. He thought it only fair that he told Victoria herself.

As quietly as possible, Victor returned upstairs to his bedroom and leaned over Victoria. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently began to shake her.

"Victoria," he called out softly. "Victoria?" After a few more shakes, Victoria's eyes finally fluttered and opened.

"Hmm," she asked drowsily.

"Darling, I realized I need to stop Barkis, but I can't do it alone. I'm going back…," he hesitated before saying the next part, "to the Land of the Dead."

"That's nice," Victoria responded groggily.

"I am leaving right now," he told her.

"Alright dear, I'll be here when you get home," she responded as she closed her eyes again. Victor was about to ask if she heard him, but he decided it was best not to push it. He leaned over and kissed her softly on her uninjured cheek.

"I'll return soon, my darling. I love you," he whispered. He was about to turn around and leave, but all of a sudden, Victoria shot up and sat straight up in bed.

"You're going where," she cried.

"Darling, I must return to the Land of the Dead! It's the only way I can protect you from Barkis," he explained.

"But Victor, you don't even know if it's safe to return!"

"But I must try!"

"How are you even going to get back there," Victoria demanded to know.

"I have a theory," Victor cried indignantly.

"And what theory would that be?"

"Well, when we came up from the Land of the Dead to this land to perform Emily's and my wedding ceremony, Elder Gutknecht cast a spell over all of us to where when we say a certain word, we would return to the Land of the Dead. After the ceremony was through, the residents from the other side said the word and returned, but I never did because I did not wish to return with them," Victor explained quickly.

"And," Victoria prodded.

"And…and well, I-I thought if I were to say the word now, it would s-still work and I would return to the L-Land of the Dead," Victor stuttered, faltering under Victoria's doubtful gaze. Victoria sighed.

"Darling, I don't feel comfortable having you go back there all alone. What if you can't return…or if Barkis finds out your plan and gets to you before you're able to reach your destination?"

"But Victoria, I have to try," Victor said as he sat down beside her and took her hand, "I can't just sit around and wait for Barkis to possibly return. I need to stop him…I can't lose you again." Victoria's gaze softened.

"Oh Victor," she said as she gently squeezed his hand and stared deep into his eyes. After a moment of silence she sighed.

"Alright Victor, you can go, but on one condition," she said.

"Anything," Victor promised. Victoria threw back her covers and began to scoot to the edge of the bed.

"That I go with you," she explained.

"But Victoria," Victor began to argue, but Victoria cut him off.

"I don't want to be left alone here," she explained as she got up from the bed. "And I can't sit here and just wonder when you're going to return either. I need to go with you." She looked pleadingly into his eyes and Victor sighed.

"Alright darling, we'll go together. But make haste, my dear. I want to leave as soon as possible," he told her.

"I'll be dressed and ready within the hour," Victoria promised. She kissed Victor quickly on the cheek and scurried off to the washroom to change.

About an hour later, Victor and Victoria were out of the house and made their way hand-in-hand to the church where the dead had congregated last, all the while praying that Victor's theory was correct.

* * *

Hey people! I just wanted to apologize for this chapter. I feel that it's definitely not my best work. I don't know, maybe I was just looking forward to writing the next parts too much, I just couldn't get inspired for this part. I feel that something's missing from it…oh well, better luck next time, I guess! Anyway, reviews are still greatly appreciated! Until we meet again! 


	10. Return to the Land of the Dead

The cold night air began to burn Victor's lungs as he and Victoria hurried along down the path that led to the church. His leg muscles were aching tremendously and he knew that he must have been hurting Victoria, pulling her along as he was, but he couldn't take any chances. If there was the slightest possibility that Barkis was following them, he wanted to make it to the church before he did.

"Victor," he heard Victoria call breathlessly behind him, "can we please slow down?"

"I'm sorry darling," Victor called back, "but we must make haste."

"But why," she asked, stumbling slightly against Victor's pull.

"B-because," Victor replied, taking a moment to think of an alternate explanation. After all, he didn't want to scare her with the possibility that Barkis could be lurking in the shadows.

"Because if someone catches us out here this late at night, they might become suspicious and alert Pastor Galswells," he explained quickly, hoping that would satisfy her.

"Oh," she replied doubtfully, but to Victor's relief, she didn't ask any more questions. A few minutes later, they crossed the bridge and the large ominous church finally loomed just a few feet ahead of them. Once at the front steps, Victor let go of Victoria's hand and ran up to the large doors. He put his hand on the cool handle and eased the door open as quietly as he could.

"Come darling," he called quietly to Victoria, who was still standing at the bottom of the front steps. Sensing his hushed manner, she crept up the steps, took his hand, and together they tip-toed into the church.

"Victor," Victoria whispered to him as they quietly made their way to the head of the church. "Are you sure it is necessary that we be here?"

"Not entirely," Victor admitted in a hushed tone. "But don't worry, darling. We won't have to be here long," he replied, knowing perfectly well why she had asked. He could feel in her trembling hand that the atmosphere was making her incredibly nervous. And he shared her feelings. The church intimidated him enough during the daylight hours, but at night there was something…unsettling about the place, as if something was watching them…

Suddenly, as if someone or something had heard his thoughts, Victor and Victoria heard a strange sound coming from above them, causing both of them to jump in surprise.

"What was that," Victoria asked immediately, completely forgetting to whisper.

"I-It was probably nothing, darling," Victor replied, more to himself than to his wife. "It was probably just…" but before he could finish comforting her, there came an even greater raucous from above. Victoria threw herself into Victor's arms and buried her face in his chest. Victor wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, looking around for the source of the chaos. After a few more seconds of scanning, he finally spotted what had caused the din. A group of crows had decided to congregate in the beams above. How they had gotten in the church in the first place was beyond Victor.

"Victoria, look," he said, his heart still racing. "I-It was just a flock of crows above. Nothing to be n-nervous about. See?" Slowly, Victoria looked up and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are they doing in here," she asked.

"I don't know," Victor replied as he continued to look up at the birds. He felt a slight shudder go down his spine as he watched them. He could swear that they were watching him as well. He looked away quickly and decided to focus on the task at hand.

"Come Victoria," he said as he walked over to the head of the church. She joined his side and looked at him questioningly.

"What do we do now, dear," she asked.

"Well, I say the word and in theory we return to the Land of the Dead," Victor replied.

"But will I be able to return with you, since I've never been," Victoria asked with a look of confusion on her face. Victor's eyes widened. He hadn't taken that into consideration.

"Well…" he said as he rubbed the back of his neck in thought. "Maybe if I carry you in my arms it will work." He walked over to Victoria and scooped her up in his arms. He took a deep breath and positioned himself exactly in the center of the head of the church.

"Are you ready darling," Victor asked Victoria. Victoria gulped slightly and smiled weakly.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said, her voice quivering slightly in uneasiness. Victor gave her a reassuring smile.

"Hang on tight, love," he told her. In response, Victoria tightened her grasp around his neck and closed her eyes. Victor took one last deep breath and closed his eyes as well.

"Hopscotch," he declared into the air. Suddenly, there came a loud crash of thunder and flashes of lightning. Out of now where, dozens of crows surrounded them until they were completely engulfed in blackness.

"Victor," Victoria called out above the noise in alarm. Victor pulled her closer to him.

"It's alright, dear," he called back to her. A few more minutes passed of nothing but darkness and unbearable noise, but then all of a sudden, it stopped. Victor opened his eyes slowly and gasped. He looked down at Victoria, who was thankfully still in his arms with her eyes squeezed shut.

"Victoria, look," he told her excitedly. Victoria opened her eyes and looked around in amazement. They seemed to be in some sort of town square and all around her there were bright, vibrant colors, more colors than she had ever seen in her life.

"Are we here," she asked somewhat in disbelief.

"Yes, we're here," Victor answered as he gently returned her to her feet. "The Land of the Dead!"


	11. Cries for Help

"This place is amazing," Victor heard Victoria say in a breathless voice.

"Do you really think so," he asked. He had hoped its rather ghostly appearance wouldn't come as a shock to her. The last thing he would want to do was to frighten her.

"I truly do," she replied as she gazed around, taking in the whole view of the place. "The colors are spectacular! Everything seems so much more…alive, here. In a manner of speaking…"

Victor smiled, glad that she was more accepting of the situation than he was when he first arrived here. His smile faded, however, when he thought back to his frantic flee from his Corpse Bride down the very street they were standing on. He felt a pang of guilt stab his heart as he imagined how he must have hurt her by running from her like that, even if their marriage had been a grave misunderstanding. She definitely hadn't deserved that.

"Victor," he heard his wife call from beside him, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Yes Victoria?"

"Where…where is everyone?"

Victor looked at her befuddled for a moment, but then upon looking around, he realized for the first time that no one besides Victoria and himself were walking the streets.

"I'm not sure, darling," he answered her as he pondered the situation. He didn't understand. The last time he walked this place, there had been dozens of people…well, corpses, strolling about and carrying about normal daily activities. Now, it appeared to be a ghost town.

_Hmm, I made a pun, _Victor thought to himself, slightly amused for a second, but then shook his head clear and focused on the business at hand. He scratched his head and furrowed his brows in thought, trying to come up with the next best action to take. Suddenly it came to him.

"The Ball and Socket," he declared, his face lighting up in hope.

"Excuse me," Victoria asked him, confused.

"It's uh, a pub, so to speak, and it's usually where the…well…corpses, congress. Maybe there will be somewhere there that can help us," he reasoned. "Come on." Victor took Victoria by the hand and began to lead her to the direction of the pub.

A few minutes later, they had arrived and were now slowly making their way down the stairs that led to the main room. Once they reached the landing, Victor realized with frustration that the pub was just as empty as the rest of the town.

"Where is everyone," he wondered out loud. As in response to his question, they heard the clatter of a few pots and pans coming from somewhere in the back.

"Who in the world dares to enter this place at this hour…" they heard a raspy, female voice call from the direction of the clatter. A few seconds later, a short, stout woman appeared with a large fork in her hand. Victor immediately recognized her as Mrs. Plum.

"Mrs. Plum," Victor exclaimed, happy to see at least one soul he remembered. He walked over to her and stuck out his hand for a shake.

"Victor? Victor Van Dort, is that you," Mrs. Plum asked in disbelief. "Victor," she cried when she assessed that it really was. She ignored his hand completely and enveloped him in a tight hug, inadvertently stabbing him with the large fork she was yielding. Victor winced.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Victor, what brings you back down here?"

"Well, you see, I, that is, Victoria and I…" he began to explain, motioning for Victoria to join him. Victoria smiled graciously and walked over to his side. Victor cleared his throat and attempted to continue. "We…"

"Oh, is this that lovely girl you were engaged to marry," Mrs. Plum asked, interrupting him completely.

"Yes, well, now she is my wife. And you see…"

"You two got married," Mrs. Plum exclaimed.

"Yes, just a short month ago," Victor replied. "Now, we need…"

"Oh Victor! Why didn't you tell us sooner? Oh, the whole town simply must know about this," she decided, turning away from the two of them.

"B-but Mrs. Plum," Victor tried to call after her, but it was too late. Mrs. Plum was already on a mission. She walked over to the bell that hung by the bar and began to ring it aggressively.

"New arrival," she called out in a loud voice. Immediately, just as Victor had seen before, corpses seemed to pop out of nowhere and were suddenly milling around everywhere with large drinks in their hand. Victoria stepped closer to Victor's side and looped her arm in his, somewhat intimidated by the new crowd. Victor patted her hand in a comforting motion, trying to communicate with her that this was a normal situation.

"So who's the new arrival," Alfred, the well-to-do English skeleton asked.

"Here he is, Victor Van Dort," Mrs. Plum cried over the din. "You all remember him. And this is his new wife, Victoria."

"The Van Dort boy is back," General Bonesapart cried incredulously.

"Yes, and married too! And here I am, still a widow," the Black Widow spider threw in.

"Oh they must be parched," Victor heard Paul the head waiter's thick French accent cut through the noise. Paul and his service of roaches made their way over to Victor and Victoria to hand them their drinks.

"One for you," he told Victor, "and one for your lovely bride." They took the drinks from Paul and thanked him politely. As Victoria was about to take a slight sip of hers, Mrs. Plum pushed her way through the crowd to confront her.

"Out of the way," she cried to the other corpses while pushing them aside. "Welcoming committee coming through." She finally made her way to Victoria and took her hand.

"Hello, dear. We were never properly introduced. I'm Mrs. Plum."

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Victoria Van Dort," Victoria replied, smiling graciously at her new companion.

"We're so glad you came to visit us. And if there's anything you ever need, you just tell me." Mrs. Plum's brows furrowed as she gazed at Victoria's face. "What on earth happened to your cheek dear?"

Victoria put a hand up to her bruised cheek and frowned sadly.

"Did he hit you," Mrs. Plum demanded to know, gesturing to Victor. Before Victoria had a chance to explain, she cast an angry, accusing look his way. Victor's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

"I most certainly did not," he cried indignantly. "That's what we're trying to explain. Now if you please just listen to me," he addressed the crowd, but it was to no avail. The din just seemed to increase.

As Victor and Victoria stood in the middle of the buzzing crowd for several more minutes, Victor began to get impatient. He decided it was time to speak up.

"P-people," he cried. "Um, people, er, corpses. Please! We need someone's help." He looked around helplessly, but no one seemed to be paying attention to him. Finally, Victor couldn't wait any longer. He took a fork that stuck out from the back of the shorter corpse cook and grabbed an empty glass from the bar. He then began clanging on the glass with the fork as loud as he could until the pub went silent.

"Everyone, please. We came down here for a reason. We are in dire need of help," he explained.

"What is it, Victor," Mrs. Plum asked in all seriousness.

"It concerns Barkis," Victor began to explain, but at the mention of that name, a slight gasp went up from the crowd.

"What about Barkis," Mrs. Plum prodded.

"Well, he," Victor paused for a second, finding it rather difficult to relive the awful events. He took Victoria's hand in his and took a deep breath before continuing. "He attacked my wife a couple of nights ago, in our own home, and he apparently tried to cast some sort of spell on her. And now, we need someone's help in figuring out what he plans are, and what we can do to stop them."

"So you say that Barkis is _already _in the Land of the Living," General Bonesapart asked from somewhere in the crowd.

"Y-yes, he is. Why," Victor asked, already afraid of the answer.

"This is more serious than we thought," the general replied.

"W-what do you mean," Victor questioned, feeling a shudder of dread go down his spine. Victor could feel Victoria grasp his hand tighter, knowing perfectly well that the general's comment alone was enough to bring all the fear and nervousness come she had been experiencing since the attack come rushing back. He squeezed her hand gently in a comforting manner.

"Well, you see," Mrs. Plum began to explain gravely. "We knew Barkis that was after the two of you, so as soon as he escaped we began searching for him everywhere, trying to catch him before he had a chance to reach the Land of the Living. We hid ourselves in various places, hoping that he would let his guard down and walk by so we could catch him. That is why you probably didn't see anyone out there when you arrived. It was our hope to stop his evil plan before he had a chance to start it. But now that he's already in the Land of the Living…"

"You, you can still stop him, can't you," Victor cut in frantically. "You have to! _We_ have to! He's after Victoria, and he won't stop until he…until she's…" Victor sighed, not even able to finish the sentence. The possible outcome was too horrible to even imagine. Mrs. Plum put a comforting hand on Victor's shoulder.

"We would love to help you, Victor, but this is problem is just too big for us. We wouldn't know how to stop him if we tried."

Victor could feel his spirits sink even lower. He looked down at Victoria and noted the look of fear and disappoint in her face. It broke his heart to see her that way. And knowing that his failure to protect her had put that look on her face only added to his pain.

"But," Mrs. Plum added, immediately restoring belief to the couple. "I do know someone who can help you."

"Really? Who," Victor asked excitedly. Instead of answering, Mrs. Plum looked behind him and gestured for him to turn around. Victor did so and gasped in complete astonishment when he caught sight of who she was referring to, for standing at the opposite end of the room was none other than…

"Emily!"

Before you go all crazy, don't worry! I have an explanation as to why Emily has returned. I just like to leave cliffhanger, is all! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and reviews are greatly appreciated! Bye!


	12. The Explanation

Victor stood with his mouth agape from shock for a second more before finding himself again and running over to Emily's side.

"Emily! How…I…I mean we…that is, Victoria and I…we saw you….and you were…." Victor rambled with child-like excitement. Emily giggled at his display.

"Hello Victor," she greeted him with a smile, her eyes dancing with amusement.

"Emily, we saw you disappear that night. How is it possible that you are here right now," Victor asked.

"Well, that's kind of a long story," Emily replied. She was about to continue when from out of nowhere, Bonejangles spoke up from his usual stance leaning against the wall by the piano.

"And what a story it is," he said. Emily rolled her eyes.

"BJ…" she called, trying to get his attention, but he continued as if he hadn't heard her.

"A story about romance…"

"BJ…"

"Passion…"

"BJ…."

"And a murder most…"

"BJ," Emily exclaimed, finally catching his attention. Bonejangles jumped a bit and looked over at her questioningly.

"Not that story," she explained. Bonejangles looked around sheepishly.

"Oh," he said. "Sorry, doll face." And with that, he resumed his position against the wall, tipped his hat over his eye, and seemed to fall asleep. Emily shook her head and turned her attention back to Victor.

"As I was saying, it's a little hard to explain," she told him.

"Please do try," Victor pleaded with her. "I would love to here it."

"Well…" Emily began, trying to find the right words. But before she could, Mrs. Plum suddenly interrupted her.

"Well, the rest of you don't just stand there! Give the three of them some space! All of you get back to…whatever it is you do! Shoo," she announced to the corpses that had gathered intently around the trio. She then began milling around and urging them off to their respective places. Once the three of them were alone finally alone, Mrs. Plum smiled.

"There you are, dears! Some privacy," she announced proudly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Plum," Emily said kindly. Mrs. Plum patted her lovingly on the arm.

"If any of you need me, I'll be in the kitchen," she informed them. And with that, she scuttled off. In the midst of all that, Emily was finally able to find the right way to begin her narrative.

"Do you know what this place is, Victor," she began. Victor furrowed his brows and thought before answering.

"No," he admitted.

"Well, the Land of the Dead is really just…well, a place of waiting, so to speak," she explained. "Everyone here is just a temporary resident, either of their own device or for a higher purpose. Some wait here for the people they left behind when they passed, others are searching for something they lost, and others were just put here for a higher purpose."

Victor could feel his spirits fall as Emily continued to explain. Since that fateful night the dead walked the earth, the only thing that had kept him from feeling incredibly guilty for backing out on their wedding was the knowledge that he was able to set her free. Now that he discovered she wasn't at all free, those feelings threatened to appear.

"Does that mean I didn't set you free," he had to ask, not able to prevent some pain from slipping into his voice. Emily looked upon him with concerned filled eyes, obviously catching his slip.

"Oh, no, no, no, Victor! Please, do not view it that way. You very much did set me free," she assured him.

"But then why are you still here," Victor challenged, now thoroughly confused.

"Oh Victor, I thought you knew," she replied, but from the look on his face, it was obvious he didn't. Emily walked over to him and took his hand.

"Victor, before you…well, proposed to me in the woods, or so to speak," Emily glanced over somewhat awkwardly at Victoria, but she seemed undaunted by the comment, so Emily continued. "I wasn't here in the Land of the Dead. I had been there, right where you had found me, lying in the dark for many years, waiting for someone like you to come free me."

"You were," Victor asked, astonished by that discovery.

"Yes," she replied, sadness casting over her expression for a second, but it just as quickly disappeared, and she continued. "You freed me from that darkness, Victor. But I just wasn't ready to crossover yet."

"Why ever not," he questioned. Emily shrugged.

"I wasn't quite sure, not until you came along. Victor, not all of us know why we were held back here. We just accept that our purpose will be revealed in due time. Now, I see that my purpose it to help you and Victoria; to prevent Barkis from claiming another innocent life."

"So you will help us then," Victor inquired.

"So long as Barkis is around, I will be around to help stop him," Emily assured him. Victor smiled with gratitude.

"Thank you," he said with the up most sincerity. "I'm so glad you're here."

"So am I," Emily admitted fondly. Both held each others gaze for a second, until Emily noticed Victoria staring at them with a look of uncertainty on her face. She quickly broke eye contact from Victor and immediately let go of his hand.

"Well," she said, addressing them both this time, "before we can come up with any sort of plan of action, I think it would be best if you two stayed here for a day or two. I doubt Barkis would like to return to here after achieving access to the Land of the Living. Therefore, you should be safe."

"That sounds like a fine idea," Victor agreed as he glanced over at Victoria.

"Is that alright with you, darling," he asked her, hoping she would agree. Victoria smiled graciously.

"Well, we did tell the servants we might not return for several days, so yes, I guess it would be the best thing to do," she agreed. Victor smiled in relief and took her hand.

"Good," he replied. "Then it's settled!"

"Come then," Emily said. "I will show you where you can sleep. Unless you would rather stay here for a while..." Victor looked at Victoria questioningly, indicating that the decision was entirely up to her.

"Well, I am rather tired," she confessed.

"Yes, we did leave rather late at night," Victor agreed. "I think it be best if we got some sleep first. Then we can start fresh tomorrow."

"Very well then," Emily said. "Right this way." And with that, she turned around and began ascending the stairs that led out of the pub. Victor and Victoria followed closely behind.

"I'm glad you decided to stay, Victoria," Victor confessed to her in a whisper as they followed Emily to their sleeping quarters. "You'll be safer here, I know you will." He took her hand and kissed it lightly. Victoria smiled.

"With you and Emily around, I'm sure I will be," she replied. "I'm sure I will be."

* * *

Hey people! Sorry it took me so long to post up this chapter. I actually started it days ago, but I couldn't find the interest to finish it. Bad thing to say about my own story, I know, but I just hate writing the chapters where I have to explain everything. It always seems so dull to me. Oh well, I hope beyond hope that you all feel differently about reading it! Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read it and reviews are greatly appreciated! Adios! 


	13. Two Brides Collide

Emily led Victor and Victoria over to a small concealed area behind an alleyway just a few blocks away from the pub. It seemed to be set up as sort of a living area, with what Victor assumed was a coffin-shaped settee against the wall.

"This is where I live," Emily revealed to them. "Well, sleep mostly. This is, in theory, the parlor," she informed them while walking over to a door at the foot of the settee that Victor hadn't noticed before. She pushed it open to reveal a small room equipped with a bed, a small bureau, and a vanity table. Victor peeked into the room to get a full view and was immediately impressed by its eerie sort of charm. Somehow, in spite of the cobwebs in every corner and cracks in the somewhat crude walls, Emily had managed to give the room a cozy welcoming touch.

"And this is my bedroom," she announced, interrupting his thoughts. Victor smiled and looked down at Victoria to take in her reaction.

"It's lovely," he heard her remark, obviously surprised at the quaint little set up that Emily created for herself. Emily beamed at them both.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely. "Well, you two are welcome to stay in here, and I can sleep on the settee.

"Oh, we don't want to put you out," Victoria began to say, but Emily shook her head to silence her arguments.

"It's no trouble, really," she insisted. "I usually just come here and sleep on the settee for a few hours before heading out again anyway. I hardly ever use the bedroom. I think it deserves a break from its neglection." Victor smiled gratefully.

"Thank you Emily, this would be wonderful," he assured her.

"My pleasure," she replied with a smile. Another moment passed where the two gazed at each other fondly, causing Victoria to feel somewhat out of place again. She discreetly left Victor's side and sat down tiredly on the settee. Taking the hint, Emily cleared her throat.

"Well, I know how tired you both are, so I'll just…" she began to say, but cut off when she caught sight of the bed. "Oh dear," she said in annoyance.

"What is it," Victor asked, concerned. Emily turned to face him and sighed.

"I just realized that I forgot to replace the sheets after I had them washed a couple of nights ago," she explained as she waved her hand toward the bed for emphasis. Victor looked past her into the bedroom and noticed for the first time that the bed indeed only consisted of pillows and a mattress, and no sheets. Emily sighed once more.

"If you'll excuse me," she told them, "I'm sure Mrs. Plum has them waiting for me." She took a few steps to leave, but Victor put his hand gently on her arm to stop her.

"Oh please, allow me," he pleaded with her.

"Oh no, Victor," she said, waving her hands in protest, "that's alright. I'll get them. It's my fault for not remembering earlier anyway." She began to walk away again, but Victor stopped her once more.

"Oh please Emily," he insisted. "It would only take me but a minute. And besides, you've done so much for us already. It would be the least I could do."

"Oh Victor, that really isn't necessary…" she tried to argue with him, but he would hear nothing more against the matter.

"I will return momentarily," he told both her and Victoria. And with that, he turned and headed back to the pub to retrieve the linen.

As the ladies watched Victor walk away, both became nervously aware that they were alone together for the first time. Emily could feel her nerves tense up as she smiled at Victoria wanly and took a seat next to her on the settee. An awkward silence followed. Both tried to make themselves seem occupied, Victoria toying unnecessarily with her fingernails and Emily picking hanging pieces of fabric off her dress, but the fidgeting only seemed to add to the obvious tension that had fallen between them. Suddenly, Victoria spoke up.

"It's very kind of you to take us in like this," she said, desperately attempting to alleviate the tension.

"Oh, it's my pleasure. I'm glad I can be of help," Emily replied. Not knowing what else to say, Victoria smiled graciously in response and returned her attention to her fingernails. Emily sighed quietly and resumed picking at the fabric on her dress, knowing perfectly well the cause of the awkward silence between them. It was because neither of them wanted to bring up the topic that desperately needed clearing up: Victor. She knew that there were some unresolved issues between the two of them, especially on her part, and up until now, she had desperately tried to deny it. But considering how long the uncomfortable quietness stretched between them, she couldn't hide from it any longer.

_I suppose I do owe her an apology, _Emily admitted to herself, thinking back to her attitude towards the night they first saw each other, and the other rude things she said behind her back, calling her "little miss living" and whatnot. Plus there was the enormous fact that she did try to steal away the girl's fiancée, even if it was unintentional. Emily sighed once more. Yes, an apology was indeed in order. But how did she go about it.

_Well, might as well just throw it out there, _Emily resolved. After all, anything was better then the tense silence they seemed to be stuck in. She girded her loins and opened her mouth to speak.

"Victoria, I…" she began, but at the exact same moment, Victoria had decided to speak as well.

"Emily, I…" she had said simultaneously. Both immediately stopped mid-sentence and laughed awkwardly. Another moment of silence passed between them, neither of them not knowing whether to let the other talk or to continue. Emily rolled her eyes, realizing there were about to slip into their previous awkward slump, and decided to take the first step.

"Victoria, I just…" Emily began, but Victoria interrupted her.

"Before you say anything, Emily, I, uh, j-just wanted to…to…" Victoria sighed, obviously frustrated with herself for not being able to get the words out. She took a deep breath. "I just wanted to thank you," she said quickly.

"Thank me," Emily asked incredulously, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Whatever for?"

"For what you did that night at the church," Victoria explained, "for saving my life as well as Victor's."

"Oh, you don't have to thank me for saving Victor's life," Emily assured her quickly. "Anyone would have done the same. And, if I recall correctly, it was Scraps who saved _your_ life," she added with a smile, referring to the moment when Scraps bit Barkis in the leg, allowing Victoria to break away from his hold on her. Victoria smiled at the rather amusing memory as well before continuing.

"Well, I didn't mean literally," she tried to explain. "I was referring to when you stopped Victor from, well, sacrificing himself. When you gave up your dreams to fulfill mine." Victoria looked down at her hands again, tears beginning to shine in her eyes.

"I don't know what I would have done if I had truly lost Victor," she admitted. "And I know you loved him very much, probably as much as I do, so I can imagine how hard it was for you to give him up." Emily now felt her own eyes brimming with tears, recalling the pain she felt the moment she forced herself to tell Victor he wasn't hers.

"So I just wanted you to know how appreciative I am that you gave him up for me," Victoria continued. "I assure you, I will never forget it."

Emily smiled a warm, watery smile. "Thank you, Victoria," she said, deeply touched by her words and amazed at the girl's humble kindness towards her even after she nearly married her husband. She could see why Victor loved her so.

"What were you going to say," Victoria asked, quickly wiping away a few tears that had spilled over her eyes. Emily smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I was just going to apologize for almost stealing away Victor," she admitted, laughing at now how ridiculous it sounded. Victoria laughed as well.

"You needn't apologize for anything. It was a simple, natural mistake. Well…not quite natural, but you know what I mean," she replied. Emily giggled.

"I know," she admitted. "But I still felt terrible. If I would have known how much he obviously loved you, I never would have…" Emily trailed off, not know what else to say. Victoria smiled tenderly and patted her arm in a comforting manner.

"You had no reason to feel terrible, I assure you," she said. "Besides, things turned out for the best. Had it not been for you're appearance, Victor and I would more than likely be dead, and Barkis would still be alive, claiming more innocent lives." Victoria's eyes noticeably clouded over at the mention of Barkis' name, and Emily's heart swelled with pity and concern.

"I'll help catch him, Victoria," Emily assured her. "I won't let anything happen to you or to Victor."

"I know you won't," Victoria replied with a grateful smile. "And I thank you for that. And I also promise you that he will not get away with what he did to you, or to any other girl he might have tricked." Emily beamed at this vow, touched by her kind words.

"So...friends," she questioned with a hopeful smile. Victoria giggled at her companion's child-like inquiry and nodded.

"The dearest," she replied. And with that, Emily embraced her tightly, marveling how they who were once jealous rivals became the good friends in a single evening. She reveled in that fact for a moment, glad that they had finally worked out their differences, when she spotted Victor rounding the corner. She pulled away from Victoria and stood up.

"Oh Victor, you're back," she said. Victoria turned around in confusion and immediately stood up when she caught sight of him.

"Yes, I'm sorry I took so long. I had a hard time convincing Mrs. Plum that I wasn't stealing these," he explained with a bemused smile. He tossed them on the bed and joined the ladies' sides.

"So, did you two find anything to talk about while I was away," he inquired nonchalantly. Emily and Victoria exchanged glances, both silently agreeing to keep their new found bond a secret. After all, they didn't want Victor to know that there had been any friction between them in the first place.

"Oh, a few things," Emily replied vaguely.

"Really, like what…" Victor began to inquire, but Victoria interrupted him.

"Come Victor, let's go to bed. I'm quite tired," she told him as she began to pull him away towards the bedroom. "Good night, Emily," she called back.

"Yes, good night," Victor said in a rush as he was being pulled away. Emily smiled.

"Good night," Emily called back before the door shut. She then lay down on the settee and closed her eyes, happy to have found such a dear friend.

* * *

Sorry I took so long with this update, but it took me days to finally get this chapter up to standards. I have come to realize I am very fickle when it comes to my stories. A few days ago, I was very excited about writing this particular chapter and couldn't wait to start it, but once I finally got the opportunity, I lost interest and my excitement shifted to the later chapters and some oneshots I plan to write. This in turn, causes me a great deal of writer's block, a delay in my updates, and uncomplete satisfaction with my new chapters! Grrr! Is that ever frustrating! Anyway, so yeah, I just thought you all should know the reason behind the slow updates, and it give me an excuse in case you don't like this chapter! Whoo hoo! Boy, this thing is long! Sorry, it's very late at night and I'm kinda out of it! Anyway, hope you like this chapter anyway and, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! Also, I don't blame you if you don't read this author's note, it is quite long! Sorry, I'll end this riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...NOW: D 


	14. A Little Confession

Victor yawned tiredly as he untied his cravat from around his neck and laid it neatly on the vanity table near the bed. He had realized too late that he had failed to remember to pack a few things for him and Victoria before they had left, including nightclothes. Both had to settle for removing what they could to make themselves as comfortable as possible. Victor had already moved his jacket, shoes, and cravat, and was now working on removing the pocket watch that was stubbornly clipped to his vest pocket. Victoria, with great difficulty, had managed to remove her corset and was now only wearing her dress and petticoat (though Victor could hardly tell the difference; why they insisted on forcing Victoria to wear a corset, he would never know).

After removing said watch, Victor turned from the vanity table and began helping his wife spread the blankets Emily had given them across the bed. As he did, he watched Victoria's thoughtful, far away expression, and couldn't help but wonder again what it was that she and Emily had talked about while he was gone. Certainly it had to be the cause of that look on her face, and Victor was just dying to know exactly what they had said to make Victoria still so thoughtful even after so much time had passed since their conversation. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer.

"Victoria," he asked, trying to keep the curiosity out of his voice, "what was it that you and Emily talked about exactly?" Victoria looked up at him from tucking in the blankets with a blank expression on her face.

"Hmm," she asked in confusion for a second, as if she hadn't hear what he had just said, but she shook her head slightly and smiled at him. "Oh, it was nothing, Victor. Just regular women talk is all." Obviously that was all she was going to offer him, for she simply looked down and resumed her tucking. Victor opened his mouth to question her further, but decided against it. After all, he didn't want to come off as the meddlesome type of husband. If Victoria didn't want to share the conversation she had had with Emily, then she must have had a good reason not to. Reluctantly, Victor accepted her answer and returned to tucking in his side. A comfortable silence fell between them as they worked together preparing for bed, but soon Victoria broke the calm.

"It was very nice of Emily to take us in like this," she said suddenly. Victor looked up at her confused for a moment, but seeing that she wasn't giving him eye contact, he looked down at his task again.

"Yes, it was," he replied warily.

"She's a very lovely woman, Victor," Victoria continued.

"Yes, she is," Victor agreed, still not quite sure where this was going.

"She's kind and beautiful and smart," Victoria listed as she finished tucking and began smoothing out the wrinkles in the sheets, "and very talented from what I hear."

"Yes, indeed," Victor agreed once more, smiling fondly at the memory of their piano duet a few hours before their near wedding.

"I can see why you were so fond of her," Victoria added almost sadly.

"Yes, I…" Victor began to say, but something in her tone caused him to freeze completely. He looked up at her to observe her expression and, even though she tried to conceal it behind an intent focus for smoothing out the sheets, Victor could still see a hint of pain in her eyes. He knew his wife was far from the jealous type, but seeing him act so affectionate towards Emily must have hurt her deeply. Victor could have kicked himself for not realizing it before.

"Victoria," he questioned her timidly; "you do know I love you, don't you?" Victoria looked up at him in a mixture of shock and surprise.

"Of course I do, Victor, and I love you," she responded, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of the question.

"And you know I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you?"

"Victor, I course I know. Now come, let's get into bed. I am exhausted," she said as she pulled the sheets back and climbed in. Victor frowned, still not quite satisfied with her answer, but joined her anyway.

"Good night, Victor," he heard his wife say from beside him as she settled in and turned over on her side.

"Good night," he responded as he leaned over and kissed her softly on the cheek before blowing the candle that sat on the side of his bed. He tried to close his eyes, but soon, he just found himself staring at the ceiling in distress, recalling the look in Victoria's eyes, and feeling the pain of knowing he put that look there. Though she assured him that she knew he loved her, he couldn't help but feel that she wasn't quite satisfied with his answers either. Victor knew perfectly well he wasn't going to be able to sleep with that thought on his conscience, so he quickly racked his brain for something, _anything _he could say to convince her how much he truly loved her. Finally it came to him.

"Victoria," he called out into the darkness. He heard her stir slightly before answering.

"Yes Victor," she replied somewhat sleepily.

"Do you know when I fell in love with you," Victor asked her. He began to feel the bed rock as, he assumed, Victoria turned on her other side to face him.

"I beg your pardon," she asked him, obviously finding his question rather random. Victor began to feel a lump of embarrassment form in his throat, but he pushed past it and continued.

"D-Do you know when I fell in love with you," he repeated.

"Oh I don't know, I suppose the moment we met," she guesses between yawns. Victor yawned as well before continuing.

"Well, yes," he admitted, "but do you know when it was that I _truly _knew that we would be able to spend the rest of our lives together?"

"When, Victor?

"Well, do you remember our wedding rehearsal?"

"You mean when you set my mother on fire," Victoria asked, her voice breaking up slightly with laughter. "How could I forget?" Victor smiled amusingly at her, though he was sure she couldn't see him, before going on.

"Well, during the rehearsal, when I couldn't get my candle lit, while everyone else was either yelling at me or staring at me disdainfully, you simply leaned over and lit it for me." He paused to try and take in Victoria's reaction, but seeing how he couldn't make out anything in the pitch black darkness, he decided to continue.

"I know it's rather peculiarly, but in that simple moment, I knew that no matter what everyone else thought, you would always be there for me. At that moment, I wanted to be there for you whenever you needed me, and vowed that I always will be."

When nothing but silence followed his little confession, Victor began to feel embarrassment color his cheeks. _She must think me such a fool, _he thought sadly as he stared into the abyss. He was about to close his eyes and attempt to fall asleep, when he felt a soft, gentle hand take his own hand and squeeze it affectionately.

"Oh Victor, that was beautiful," he heard his wife say in an emotional voice. Victor brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

"And I meant every word of it," Victor replied with a smile. He sighed contently as he scooted closer to her and carefully wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you Victoria, more than anything or anyone. No matter how foolishly I may act," he assured her.

"I know you do, Victor. And I love you," Victoria replied, obviously forgiving him. She nuzzled deeper into his shoulder before sighing contently and eventually falling asleep. Victor lay there a little longer, indulging in that happy little moment before closing his eyes and falling joining her in a deeply complacent slumber.


	15. The Nightmare

Victor watched with the up most horror as Barkis roughly pulled Victoria away from his side and down the aisle of the church, all the while ranting something about not leaving empty-handed. That horror, however, was quickly overpowered by an upsurge of anger as the despicable man pulled a large sword out of the dwarf skeleton's chest and brought the sharp point up to Victoria's throat. Her pleading eyes reflected back to Victor in the blade's smooth surface, causing his rage to intensify.

"Sorry to have to cut things short, but we must be on our way," he heard Barkis say as he began to back away with his Victoria in arms. Finally, Victor couldn't stand quiet any longer. With new found courage, he stepped forward, his eyes intense with a look of pure anger and his chest puffed out in determination.

"Take your hands off her," he demanded in a slow, threatening voice, surprising even himself. This, however, only caused Barkis to smirk, obviously unaffected by Victor's rage. As he still clutched tightly to Victoria, he turned the blade on Victor.

"Do I have to kill you too," he asked in a slightly exasperated tone. As Victor stared down the blade of the sword, his mind quickly ran through possible next steps, but all seemed to result in either him, or even worse, Victoria, getting killed. He was dangerously close to panicking, when to his great relief, the next plan of action was decided for him.

Out of nowhere his old dog, Scraps, jumped up and dug his bony teeth deep into Barkis' ankle. Barkis shrieked and desperately tried to shake the dog off his leg, meanwhile losing his grasp on Victoria, providing for her a window of opportunity to escape. She made an attempt to take advantage of that opportunity, and for a moment, Victor felt his hopes soar. But in an instant, all that came crashing down. Somehow, Barkis had managed to kick the dog off his leg faster than Victoria could gain distance from him. He reached out and wrapped a vise-like grip around her arm, proceeding to jerk her back to him and whirl her around to face him. Then, without a moment's hesitation, Barkis took his large sword and plunged a good portion of it into Victoria's abdomen. Victoria gasped in shock as the blade tore through her with ease, piercing and puncturing vital organs on the way.

"No," Victor heard someone call out, not realizing at all that it had been him. He felt all the blood drain from his body as he watched Barkis sneer snidely at Victoria and pull the sword roughly out of her body. Victoria stared at the large hole in her in shock before a second more before closing her eyes and collapsing in a heap to the floor. Barkis nonchalantly tossed the bloody blade aside and, with his work completed, calmly walked out of the church. Victor ran as fast as he could to Victoria's side and gathered her in his arms.

"Victoria," he called softly to her, clutching her closely to him in an attempt to will life back into her. "Victoria?" A few corpses, including Emily, gathered around the couple sympathetically, but Victor saw or heard none of them. All that was real to him was his deceased love in his arms.

END SCENE

Victor awoke with a start, bolting straight up in his bed and feeling himself shaking all over. His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, but when only darkness met him, he became greatly confused. Fear gripped his heart as he desperately tried to remember what was taking place.

_Where am I, _his mind screamed wildly. _Where's Victoria!_ He felt himself begin to hyperventilate as confusion and panic clouded his mind, rendering him unable to concentrate. He began to take deep breathes, trying to will himself to calm down. Then, just as he was about to get up and wander around blindingly, memories came flooding back to him.

_The Land of the Dead,_ he realized with relief, greatly comforted that he was finally able to remember. _I'm in the Land of the Dead with Victoria, she's lying right beside me, and we're safe._

Victor sighed heavily with relief, and soon he began to feel the fear slowly leave his body.

_Oh, what a horrid dream, _he told himself as he put his fingers to his temples and rubbing them vigorously. _Thank goodness it's over._

But as Victor closed his eyes and continued to massage his aching head, terrifyingly vivid images from his nightmare flashed before him in his mind uncontrollable. He began to feel the distress creep into him again, but he willed himself not to be frightened.

"It was only a dream"he repeated quietly to himself over and over again. "It was only a dream."

_But it felt so real, _his subconscious thought as the images began to flash before him. The anger, the feel of holding a lifeless Victoria in his arms, the overwhelming grief he felt knowing she was gone…

"Victor," he suddenly heard a voice call out in the darkness. He jumped in surprise a bit before realizing it was Victoria.

"Yes, darling," he responded.

"Are you alright," she asked, her voice full of somewhat motherly concern.

"Y-Yes, Victoria, I'm alright. It was j-just a b-bad dream, I guess," he assured her, rolling his eyes at himself for sounding anything but alright. He felt a soft, gentle hand grip his own.

"Are you sure you're alright," Victoria asked once more, skepticism slightly creeping into her voice. Victor sighed, comforted by her warm touch and loving care.

"Yes, I'm sure," he told her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze for added assurance. "I'm sorry for waking you."

"That's alright, dear," she assured him sincerely. "Just please try and get some sleep.

"Yes, darling," Victor answered her as he obediently lay back down by her side. Still gripping her hand, he leaned in closer to her and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Victoria," he told her in all seriousness. Victoria returned the loving gesture with a kiss of her own.

"I love you too, Victor," she replied. And without another word, Victoria turned on her side and fell fast asleep. Victor sighed; afraid to join her in slumber for fear that the nightmare will return. Instead he stared into nothingness and contently listened to his wife's steady breathing, glad to have the assurance of knowing she was right beside him, alive and well.

_It isn't over, _Victor thought, contradicting his previous thought. _The nightmare will never be over, not until Barkis is captured and his reign of terror is put to an end forever._

END SCENE

Sorry, I didn't like the way that one ended, but I couldn't think of anything else to put without going overboard, so there you have it. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I tried my best not to make it too dramatic, and if I failed, I apologize! Well, reviews are greatly appreciated! Bye!

Oh! And one more thing! This thing wouldn't let me add lines or anything to break up the different scenes, so where it says END SCENE, that's where the lines usually go!


	16. That's It!

The next morning, Victor opened his eyes to see Victoria sleeping peacefully beside him. He smiled and reached over to gently caress her cheek, glad that at least one of them was able to get some rest. How _he _had been able to fall asleep after the terrible nightmare he had endured was beyond him, but it hadn't exactly been the most peaceful slumber of his life, quite the contrary. Now, as he head pounded from exhaustion, he was sorely tempted to just remain right where he was for the rest of the day, ignoring the world outside and contently watching his wife sleep.

_No, _he quickly reprimanded himself quickly, _today is a day for business._ He had vowed the night before that that day would be the day he would began working on plans to put a stop to Barkis' reign of terror. It had to be, for it wouldn't be long before Barkis grew impatient and began hunting _them _down. And by no means could Victor let that happen.

So reluctantly, he threw the cover off himself and his wife and got up to get ready for the day. Victoria, however, shivered a bit from being exposed to the cold so suddenly, but otherwise made no attempt to get up. Victor hated to disturb her from one of the few peaceful slumbers she had experienced in the past week, but he knew it had to be done.

"Victoria," he called out to her as he sat down on the bed to put on his shoes, jostling it in an added attempt to wake her. "Victoria, you must get up. We have a lot to do today." She mumbled something incoherently as a response, but still remained asleep. Victor sighed and bounced on the bed again, jostling it with an ardor that she couldn't ignore.

"Alright, darling, I'm up," she contended as she reluctantly sat up from the comfort of the bed. Victor smiled appreciatively at her.

"Thank you," he told her as he watched her get up and search for her corset. "And please make haste, my dear. Today is a very important day."

"And why is that dear," Victoria asked as she peeked under the bed in her quest.

"Today we will begin making plans to put a stop to Barkis' rampage," he informed her. "I plan to meet with Emily and Elder Gutknecht to discuss the possibilities of catching him before…he, well…" Victor faltered and gazed at her nervously.

"Catches me," Victoria finished for him helpfully. Victor felt a dark pit grow in his stomach as gruesome images of his nightmare flashed before him. He gulped before continuing.

"Y-yes," he answered, trying to quell the nervous shaking of hands so he could finish adjusting his cravat. He heard Victoria take a few tentative steps towards him and practically felt her eyes boring into the back of his head as she studied him. He dared not look at her for fear of revealing the apparent agitation and fear his eyes probably held. Victor nearly jumped when he felt a small hand on his left shoulder.

"You'll stop him Victor," Victoria assured him in a soft, soothing voice that caused Victor's heart to swell with emotion. "I know you will." Victor smiled gratefully (though rather uselessly considering that she couldn't see it) and reached over with his right hand to place it gently on hers. No further words had to be spoken between them, for both of them knew what the other was feeling (which was a relief for Victor, since he had no idea how to respond to such a sweet sentiment).

"Now come help me with my corset," Victoria added after the sentimental moment had passed. Victor quickly put on his jacket and turned around.

"Gladly," he told her as he reached for her corset strings. It was until a second later that he realized just how many inappropriate connotations his response had held.

"I mean," he quickly added, trying to make amends, "I-I'll be glad to _help_ you, not j-just because I w-want to see you in your corset, I mean…" he quickly trailed in humiliation as a blush spread across his cheeks. Apparently being married to Victoria didn't keep him from acting like a nervous, clumsy fool around her. But to his great relief, Victoria giggled delightfully.

"I know what you meant, Victor," she assured him. Victor smiled pleasantly and assumed tying Victoria's corset strings, extremely thankful to have a wife that understood him, and who obviously had more confidence in him than he in himself. As soon as the pair finished dressing, they headed out of their comfortable room and into the world and all its grim tasks.

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It had been hours since Victor met with Emily and Elder Gutknecht in the quaint little pub and still the trio could not come up with a suitable plan to stop Barkis. Upon further investigation, the elderly skeleton had realized that it seemed Barkis had cast a certain version of the Ukrainian Haunting Spell upon himself that allowed him permanent access to the world above. This unfortunately met that not only could the villain roam the streets of the Land of the Living freely without having to worry about accidentally returning the Land of the Dead, bringing him back downstairs once they captured him would prove to be even more difficult than expected. But for now, that was a hurdle that the three decided to put off until absolutely necessary. At the moment, the most urgent issue was how to capture him in the first place.

"I don't see why we can't just form a small squadron and hunt him down," Emily contested.

"Barkis Bittern is probably expecting, my dear," Elder Gutknecht answered her soothingly. "He must have found a very clever hiding place by now. Odds are he would get to Victoria while we were out searching for him."

"But what if we had another small group looking after Victoria at all times," Victor suggested.

"Knowing Barkis, he would probably find a way around them. After all, he attacked her without being noticed while your servants were just in a different part of the house. And not even you could be with her twenty four hours a day," the elder reasoned. Victor slumped his shoulders in disappointment when he realized he had a point. Barkis would only need a few minutes of Victoria being alone in order to take her away.

A tense silence passed between the three as each tried to rack their brain for new ideas, only occasionally interrupted by Elder Gutknecht's intense hacking. Finally, Emily sighed in frustration.

"Oh this is so distressing! If there was only a way we could just lure out Barkis from his hiding place! You know, like a hunter lures out it's pray with food or something," she ranted out of exhaustion. Victor leaned over and patted her on the shoulder comfortingly, assuring her without words that he knew how she felt. But as he did, he noticed Elder Gutknecht suddenly sit up straighter as if hit by an idea.

"That's it," he cried, startling them both. "Emily, you're brilliant!"

"Me," she asked confused, "but why? What's it?"

"That is how we are to capture Barkis, by luring him out of his hiding place and cornering him before he can do any damage!" At this, Emily chuckled slightly.

"Elder Gutknecht, I hardly think Barkis is going to be persuaded to come out of hiding by the lure of food."

Victor put his hand over his mouth to cover a smile, all of a sudden getting a ridiculous mental image of Barkis tiptoeing out of wherever he was at the smell of a steak. But he quickly worked to suppress it when he saw Elder Gutknecht shake his head vigorously.

"That is not quite what I meant," he said, sounding slightly annoyed. "I was thinking more along the lines of Victoria."

"Victoria," Victor asked, his smile disappearing all together. "What about Victoria?"

"Well, if Barkis knew Victoria was alone, he would surely leave his hiding place and come after her," the elderly skeleton began to explain, but Victor shook his head in protest.

"Absolutely not," he interrupted, his voice firm, "I refuse to leave Victoria alone. Not even for a minute."

"But she wouldn't truly be alone, my boy. We would be waiting in the shadows for him, and before he would have a chance to harm her, we would corner and capture him!"

"That actually sounds like a good idea," Emily agreed, but Victor continued to shake his head.

"No, it is not a good idea. There are too many risks."

"Such as," the Elder challenged.

"Such as, what if he goes by unnoticed and we do not reach him in time? What if he has weapons that we wouldn't be prepared for," Victor listed.

"But those are just chances we are going to have to take if we ever want to capture him," Elder Gutknecht insisted.

"I do not want to take any chances," Victor retorted a bit more harshly than he intended. "I do not want to do anything that would put my wife's life on the line more than it already is! I mean, even if the slightest thing goes wrong, Victoria could be killed!"

At that outburst, Victor's hand immediately flew over his mouth and his eyes grew wide in shock. He couldn't believe he had just said out loud what he had not even been able to bring himself to think about. It was then that he truly realized for the first time just how much was at stake. He could really lose Victoria, the person who he wouldn't be able to continue his life without. Emily put a comforting hand on his and offered him a smile which he failed to return.

"Victor," she said in a soothing voice, "it may be the only way."

Victor sighed when he realized she might have a point, but he couldn't help but object. Something inside him was telling him that it was a terrible mistake. All of a sudden, the same horrendous fear that he had experienced in his nightmare began to take shape in his heart again, and he quickly turned his body in his chair to gaze at his wife, who had opted to stay out of the Barkis capturing plans. Instead she was seated over at the piano with Bonejangles, who was attempting to give her a few simple piano playing lessons. Victor watched Victoria giggle with delight as the skeleton's hand detached itself from its master, becoming like a separate entity. It skimmed over the piano and played a charming melody, then proceeded to waltz over to Victoria's hand and attempt to dance with it, causing Victoria to burst into another fit of laughter. Meanwhile Mrs. Plum, knowing Bonejangles flirtatious tendencies with beautiful women, hovered over the pair like a hawk, making sure he didn't do or say anything that might be deemed inappropriate.

In spite of the fear, Victor smiled fondly at the lovely little scene. It had been quite a while since he saw his wife laugh like that, and he couldn't bare the prospect of putting her in a situation that would surely take it away again. He couldn't subject her to that kind of danger again, not after all that she had been through. Victor pushed his chair back and stood up, habitually rubbing the back of his neck in a tense manner.

"I'm sorry, I know it may be the only option we have," Victor admitted, "but you're asking me to intentionally put my wife in danger, and I just can't do that."

"But I can," Victor heard a familiar voice say behind him. He turned around to see Victoria standing behind him with a defiant look on her face.

"Victoria, you cannot mean that," he began to protest, but Victoria gently put her finger to his lips to silence him.

"Victor, I know you are concerned for me, and I love you deeply for it, but if this is the only way to prevent Barkis from ever hurting anyone again, I'll do it," she said, her eyes filled with a mixture of love and determination. Victor took the hand that had silenced him and kissed it softly. Victoria smiled.

"Besides, I know you wouldn't let anything happen to me," she assured him. "Would you?"

"Never," Victor promised seriously, pulling her towards him and wrapping an arm around her waist. "I love you Victoria."

"I love you too, Victor," she replied. He bent down to kiss her softly on the cheek before returning his attention to Emily and Elder Gutknecht.

"Well," he said nervously, "then we best get down to work." And with that, the four sat down to discuss they're new found plan.

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Sorry it took me so long for an update, I had some serious writer's block that I blame on college, which I started today for the first time, by the way! Whoo hoo! Sorry! Anyway, anyone know what's up with the line feature? I've been trying to put line's in my stories for a while now and it won't work! I had to use a bunch of s's instead! Weird! Anyway, hope you liked the update and reviews are still greatly appreciated! Adios!


	17. Anticipated Surprise

Tensions were noticeably high as Emily, Elder Gutknecht, and the Van Dorts returned to the Land of the Living early the next morning. Victor clutched onto Victoria's hand like as if it was a lifeline and had been ever since they left the Land of the Dead. Now, as the four stood in the Van Dorts parlor and reviewed over the plans, Victor could feel his anxiety intensify, and thus inadvertently grasped her hand even tighter.

"Darling," Victoria whispered into his ear, "that does hurt a little."

"I beg your pardon," Victor asked, obviously lost in his own little world of thought. Victoria looked down and Victor followed her gaze to find himself squeezing her hand enough to turn her knuckles white.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear," he said as he immediately released the pressure. "Did I hurt you much?"

"No Victor," she said reassuringly, giving the hand that was still holding hers a gentle pat with her opposite hand. "I'm fine. And please try to calm down some," she said in a concerned tone. Victor gave her a weak smile and nodded as if to concede, but he knew it was going to prove easier said then done.

"Now, everyone understand what is to be done," Victor heard Elder Gutknecht ask when he tuned back in.

"Yes," the women assured him simultaneously. Victor merely nodded in affirmation, at the moment finding it impossible to open his mouth without letting his anxiety slip through. Despite the fact that he hadn't been paying attention whilst the elderly skeleton had been reviewing a moment ago, Victor hadn't been able to get the images of what he was to do out of his mind. They seemed to play themselves over and over again. Pretend to leave the house for work, hide in the backyard until given the signal by Victoria, run in and rescue her before anything serious happens….

_In other words, _he thought somewhat guiltily, _offer her up to the wolves and hope to heaven everything goes according to plan._

At the thought, Victor sighed more loudly than he had intended, which caused everyone else to gaze at him questioningly.

"Victor is everything alright," Victoria questioned from beside him. Victor gulped and nodded his head vigorously, trying his best to put his bravest face on.

"Y-yes, Victoria, I'm alright, I mean, everything is…is alright," he stuttered, not daring to meet eye contact with anyone and opted for studying the wood patterns on the parlor floor. He felt his wife give his hand a gentle squeeze, but he was too ashamed to return it. Why did he have to be such a cowardly fool?

"Victor my boy, if you're still having your doubts, do not fear," Elder Gutknecht said soothingly. "As I explained to you before, I cast a certain version of the Ukrainian Haunting Spell that would allow us to automatically transport between the two worlds. If anything goes wrong, Victoria could always just say…" the elder hesitated for fear of being accidentally sent back to the Land of the Dead, "that word I told you all to say, and she will be transported to safety. Rest assure, my boy, we wouldn't let anything happen to either of you."

Victor picked up his gaze from the floor and smiled appreciatively at the elder. "Thank you, sir, I…we are eternally grateful." Elder Gutknecht hobbled over to the couple and smiled tenderly at them.

"Any friends of Emily's are friends of mine," he said. Victor and Victoria looked over at Emily, who was just smiling sweetly at the trio. She cleared her throat somewhat emotionally before speaking up.

"Well, I guess it would be time," she said as she looked over at the grandfather clock in the corner. Victor followed her gaze to the timepiece to find that it was indeed around the usual time that he would leave for the office. He sighed heavily and nodded to Emily in affirmation.

"I will meet you in the garden shortly," he told her as he walked over to the foyer to gather his coat, hat, and work satchel. Emily nodded as a response and joined Elder Gutknecht in heading to the backyard. Meanwhile, Victor finished readying, took Victoria by the hand once more and led her outside to where the carriage was waiting.

"Please be of the up most care, my darling," Victor told her seriously as he stared deep into her eyes. Victoria smiled reassuringly at him.

"I will, Victor. You need not worry about that." Victoria stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed him deeply.

"I love you, Victor," she told him, not a trace of humor in her eyes. Victor leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"I love you too, Victoria," he whispered into her ear, trying to push aside the ridiculous yet nagging feeling of that being the last time he was to hold her, "more than you'll ever know."

Victor kissed her on the cheek one last time before reluctantly releasing her and climbing into the carriage. He leaned his head out the tiny window and watched her as she returned to the shelter of the house, all the while feeling a horrible ache in his heart. He knew it was foolish of him to be feeling as if he would never see her again, but some indelible force kept leading him to believe that it was. He just hoped that feeling would go away long enough for him to focus on the task at hand, so that in turn he could prevent his horrible premonition from coming true.

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Barkis sneered evilly to himself as he watched the young couple bid each other bittersweet farewells before Victor climbed into the carriage and supposedly headed off to work.

_Fools, _he exclaimed in his head. _They think I don't know. They I'm some sort of clueless dolt, but in fact, they are they ones that are without the clue._

It greatly amused, if not offended, Barkis to think how much they had underestimated him; how they assumed he would be easily drawn into such a flimsy, palpable plan such as theirs; how they never once thought to consider the fact that Barkis would be capable of tracking their every move without being discovered, or how he could have possibly come up with the ingenious idea of cracking a window slightly in every room of the house before their return so that he may overhear any plans without having to enter the house. How dare they not consider those possibilities?

_Well, no matter, _he reasoned as he watched a sullen Victoria return to the supposed shelter of the house, _as long as it gave me the advantage I need, I suppose it was all for the best._

"Well…for myself at least," Barkis said aloud as he cackled devilishly to no one. He proceeded to pick up the book of Dark Magic, which had been lying by his feet, and began to stroke it absently as he watched the carriage carrying the Van Dort fool roll down the road. He felt his elation double as he noticed it making an "unexpected" turn Barkis knew perfectly well wasn't in the usual route to his business. He then played out the rest of the route in his mind, picturing the carriage secretly roll down the unmarked road that led directly to the back of the Van Dort's mansion and the young Van Dort boy spilling out of it clumsy before hoping the fence and hiding amongst the bushes with the other two fools, just waiting for his arrival.

"Well, he's in for quite a wait," Barkis commented as he strolled over to his usual resting spot in the back of his alley and stretched out across the makeshift bed he had created out of odds and ends he found amongst the garbage. "I never strike until the dark of night." He proceeded to open the forbidden book in his arms and read over the spell he had already read at least a dozen times, enjoying the powerful, dark energy it filled him with.

"Go ahead with your silly little plans, Van Dort," Barkis spat out all of a sudden. "But just know I have the upper hand!"

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Victoria paced nervously around her and Victor's special room as she gazed at the timepiece that stood in the area Victor usually occupied. Nine o'clock. After what seemed like an eternity, nightfall had finally managed to come. She jumped slightly as the old grandfather clock faithfully began to chime, filling the spacious room with a somewhat ominous sound.

She sighed and mentally kicked herself for being such a jittery fool.

_How in the world are you going to remain calm when Barkis arrives if you are frightened by a timepiece,_ she asked herself with frustration. She took a deep breath as she walked over to her side of the room and picked up an unfinished pair of mittens she had begun knitting for Victor a couple of days ago. She sat down in her favorite settee and began working away at the project, willing herself to calm down enough to quell the nervous shaking she had begun just after Victor had left that morning.

A few painfully slow minutes passed by with Victoria knitting undisturbed, but then all of a sudden she heard the front door swing open and shut in a rather pronounced manner. The knitting went flying to the floor as she jumped up from her chair in a mixture of fearful surprise and sickening expectancy.

Victoria took a deep breathe and began to think, trying to work past the awful knot that had developed in her stomach. For a second she felt as if she was going to faint from sheer terror, but she determinately pushed that feeling aside as best as she could and tried to clear her mind, which had seemed to inconveniently turn to mush.

_Think, Victoria, think, _she told herself as she quietly crept to the door to listen for any signs of movement. She gulped when she heard whoever had entered her house begin to make their way up the stairs. When she could no longer hear the footsteps, she gathered her courage enough to open the door and peek down the hallway.

To her immense relief, she saw that the foyer was empty. With the up most care, she crept out of the room and ran to the door as fast as she could in search of some sort of weapon. She nearly cried out in frustration when she discovered that her best choices were between an umbrella and a jacket. She relented for the umbrella and grabbed it before sneaking back to her special room, leaving the door open a crack and extinguishing any light in the room to allow her to peek without being notice. A few dreadful seconds passed before she saw Barkis himself make his way coolly back down the stairs and into the parlor to the right of the door.

Seeing this as her only advantage, Victoria once again crept from the room and made her way down the hall and up the stairs as fast as she could before she gave Barkis the chance to catch her.

_What to do now, _she wondered as she leaned up against the wall just around the corner of the staircase. She knew it would only be a brief moment before Barkis thought to check upstairs again and she would be discovered. She needed to get him into the room her and her husband and friends had preplanned before he had a chance to capture her. But how? She needed a moment to plan out her next moves.

Whatever time she had to think vanquished, however, for she soon began to hear Barkis make his way up the stairs again. She steeled herself and raised the umbrella to a defensive position, ready and waiting for Barkis to come into her line of view.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the last step of the long staircase. When he did, he turned his head slightly, caught sight of her, and gave her a leer.

"Hello, my d-," he began to say, but before he could get the last word out, Victoria channeled all her anger and hatred for that man into the umbrella and swung as hard as she could, striking him directly in the chest. Barkis made an "oof" sort of a sound before flying backwards and tumbling down the steps. Victoria tossed the umbrella aside before taking off like a shot to the guest bedroom they had planned to capture him in, hoping he was angry enough to follow.

_Now for the signal, _she thought as she searched the room for something hard and breakable. Her eyes finally spotted a vase sitting atop of a table next to the bed. She ran over, picked it up, and flung it as hard as she could at a window, watching the part of the window she struck shatter into a million pieces and the vase go sailing into night air. She sighed somewhat with relief, knowing that the vase would shatter all over the backyard and give the warning to her husband and friends that their prey had finally entered the trap.

Victoria turned around and got struck with a moment of de ja vu as she came face to face with a very angry Barkis. He sneered as he grabbed her roughly by the arm and uttered one sickening word.

"Surprise."

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Hello there! Sorry for the very long wait! I had trouble coming up with ideas and college has been keeping me busier than expected! Hope you aren't to upset with me! Anyway, I'll try to make the next update sooner and I hope this one lived up to your expectations! Reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated! Bye!


	18. Hooray?

Victor paced anxiously back and forth amongst the tall shrubbery in his garden, rubbing his hands through his hair so many times he wouldn't have been surprised if it all fell out the next morning. Periodically, he would peek from behind the shrubbery to gaze at his enormous house, searching for any kind of sign that Victoria might need him.

"Victor, please sit down. You're going to wear a track into your garden," Emily reasoned with him in a soft tone. Victor absent-mindedly squatted down for a second or two, but sighed for what had to have been the millionth time that day and resumed his nervous pace.

"My boy, do try to calm down. Victoria is a strong, brave woman. She can handle herself," Elder Gutknecht said in an attempt to comfort him, but Victor would hear none of it.

"We should never have done this," he muttered to himself. "To put her in danger like that was just wrong."

"She'll be alright," Emily assured him. "Any minute now she'll give us a signal and we will go in there and capture Barkis."

"But what if she can't find a way to call out to us," Victor asked, sounded like a lost little boy. Emily smiled pitifully at him and got up to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Victoria's smart," she answered. "She'll find a way."

As if on cue, the trio heard a large crash come from the direction of the house. They all shot out from behind the bushes just in time to see a vase sail through the air before it crashed into tiny fragments on the ground. Emily looked over at Victor a smiled.

"I told you," she said to him. Victor offered her a short fleeting smile before bolting into the house without another word. Emily and Elder Gutknecht followed quickly behind him.

"Victoria," Victor called out, his voice echoing through the empty mansion. His brain went blank for a second as he tried to recall which room they had originally agreed to meet in, but he just as quickly recalled and sprinted up the stairs to the guest bedroom, all the while praying that he wouldn't be too late.

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"That was a funny trick you played on me, Victoria," Barkis snarled at her as he pulled her closer to him. "Under different circumstances, that fall might have even killed me. I commend you for your bravery." 

"So you're going to let me go," Victoria asked feebly, causing him to cackle in her face.

"No, no, I'm afraid you're still needed," he explained to her as he casually tossed the Dark Magic book he had been holding in his arm on the bed nearby. He used his now free arm to take complete hold of Victoria and throw her against a wall. Victoria winced as her backside made a painful contact with it, but that pain was soon forgotten as Barkis positioned himself directly in front of her, trapping her between him and a hard place.

"I never did explain my plans, did I, my dear," he asked her casually, causing a knot to form in Victoria's stomach. "You see, in that pretty little book over there," he vaguely gestured to the book lying on the bed, "there is this very powerful spell. And this spell, to put it simply, can make it to where I live again at the expense of your life."

"What," Victoria exclaimed, thoroughly shocked beyond belief. "B-but, but that is impossible!"

"Quite the contrary, love, it is possible. Granted it was banned a long time ago, but I was never one to play by the rules."

"You cannot do that! You simply can't!"

"Oh but I can, Victoria. A life for a life, it's only fair," Barkis explained, a sickening, Cheshire cat-like smile spreading across his face. "Now, shall we begin?"

Victoria's eyes grew wide with panic as she watched him reach into his coat pocket to pull out what she assumed was the vile that would complete the dire spell. _Where is Victor, _she wondered, seriously considering yelling out "hopscotch" to transport herself to the safety of the underworld. But just as she was about to open her mouth, the bedroom door burst open and Victor barged in wielding a large sword in his hand. Emily and Elder Gutknecht entered a few steps after him.

"Victor," she called out, her heart soaring with relief. Barkis turned around to confront him, but instead came face to face with the pointy end of the sword. He met Victor's eyes and scoffed.

"I'm dead, you fool! Your weapon is useless!" Barkis swung his arm to shoo the sword away, but Victor moved quicker, and with one fluid motion he managed to slice off Barkis' right hand. The appendage flew to the floor and lay listless, causing its owner to let out a yelp in response. He looked over at Victor once more, shock written all over his face.

"But I have no problem slicing you into a million pieces and burying them where they would never be found again," Victor heard himself say. He was somewhat shocked that those uncharacteristically brave words were coming from him, but he kept a straight face on. Barkis genuinely seemed threatened as he picked up his detached appendage and attempted to reattach it again.

"Now let's not be hasty here," he replied somewhat sheepishly. "I'm sure we can come to…some sort of civil arrangement."

"What arrangement," Victor asked suspiciously.

"Let's say…." Barkis thought for a second before his eyes came to rest on the book that was lying over on the bed. He quickly ran over to it and gathered it in his arms again before anyone else had a chance to snatch it away, "the Dark Magic book in exchange for my freedom."

"Never," Victor replied, knowing perfectly well that he would be getting the short end of the stick. Barkis snarled at him.

"Oh come now, Van Dort boy, I am powerless without that book! You let me go free without it and you might as well be letting a kitten lose onto the street!"

"No," Victor replied firmly, his sword still pointed squarely at Barkis.

"Very well then," Barkis replied. He casually strolled over to Victor's side, pretending to begin to leave, but instead in one swift motion, snatched the sword away from Victor, ran over to Victoria, wrapped his arms around her and brought the sword's point up to her throat, mirroring the position they had been in that at the church. An awful dark spot spread across Victor again as flashbacks of his nightmare popped into his head.

"New deal. The book _and_ your wife's life in exchange for my freedom. Agreed," Barkis asked with an air of superiority, knowing he found the incentive Victor couldn't refuse. Victor, meanwhile, frantically searched his brain for a plan to save his wife without granting Barkis his freedom, but after looking into Victoria's pleading eyes, he realized he couldn't do so without putting her into further jeopardy, something he just couldn't do again. He sighed relentlessly.

"Agreed," he said, his eyes downcast in shame. Barkis smiled another serpent-like smile at him as he shoved the Dark Magic book in Victoria's arms.

"Excellent choice," were his last words to them before he proceeded to push Victoria roughly in the direction of Victor and stole away into the night. Victoria stumbled forward, but Victor caught her in his arms before she could fall completely. He held her close for a little longer before pulling back to examine her.

"Are you alright," he asked her, his voice full of concern. Victoria offered him a shaky smile and nodded.

"All things considering, yes," she told him. He pulled her into a tight embrace once more as Elder Gutknecht slipped between them and took the book from Victoria's arms.

"Well…." the Elder began, clutching the book in his feeble arms, "I guess it's over."

"You mean, we won," Emily asked, her voice mirroring the uncertainty in the older skeleton's voice.

"Well, Barkis cannot commit anymore heinous acts without this book, so, yes, I believe we did," he replied. A rather awkward silence followed, none of them knowing what to do next. Finally, Victor cleared his throat.

"Well, thank you, the both of you, for all that you did to help us," he said in a somewhat lackluster tone. "We really appreciate it."

"It was our pleasure, Victor," Emily assured him. She enveloped the couple in a hug as the elder did the same. Another awkward moment passed.

"Well, I guess we better let you two get some rest," Emily spoke up. "It's been a long, trying week for the two of you."

"Y-yes," Elder Gutknecht agreed. "And feel free to come visit us anytime. The spell is an open invitation."

"We will," Victoria replied with a courteous smile. The two returned the smile, and with one last farewell, they muttered hopscotch simultaneously and disappeared in a crowd of crows, leaving the Van Dorts standing alone in the guest bedroom.

"Well, I think it would be best if we retire," Victor said after a moment. Victoria nodded in response.

"I am rather spent," she agreed. Victor took hold of her hand and together they headed off to prepare for bed, each lost in their own thought.

A little while later, both climbed and wrapped their arms around each other. Victoria yawned and kissed Victor tenderly on the lips.

"Good night, darling."

"Good night, dear," Victor replied, returning the favor with another kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too," Victoria replied in a sleepy voice. Within a matter of minutes, Victor heard his wife's breath begin to steady and she fell fast asleep.

Victor knew, however, that sleep wasn't going to come that easy for him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He knew he should feel ecstatic that the conflict with Barkis was finally over, but something inside him kept nagging away at him. Something about what had taken place that day felt unresolved.

_That victory was too easy_, Victor realized as he unconsciously pulled Victoria closer to him. Something felt sort open, and Victor knew he wouldn't be able to rest easy until whatever that was was closed once and for all.

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That ending felt a little open, don't you think? Anyway, I am _terribly _sorry for the flagrant delay. College has been keeping me busier than I thought and with the combination of late nights and early mornings, I haven't been able to get around to updating any of my stories! I'm really sorry! But I hope you all liked this chapter anyway, and I'll try to make the next one sooner! I promise! Reviews are greatly appreciated! 

P.S. It is very late right now and I can barely see straight, let alone read, so please excuse the fact that I'm going to skip proofreading this chapter. There shouldn't be _too _many mistakes, but please forgive me for any dumb ones that are left in there! Oh! And if the writing's poor, you can blame that on fatigue as well! Good night : )


	19. He Returns

One uneventful week passed with the people of the Van Dort household slowly managing to forget the anxiety of the previous night and ease back into their regular lives once more. Routines were picked up again and everyone returned to their regular jobs, all but Victor, that is. Despite the dissipating tension, he refused to leave Victoria's side for longer than a minute, even if it meant neglecting his floundering fish business.

All were beginning to worry, especially Victoria. She feared that if they weren't careful, Victor's newly obsessive need to protect her all hours of the day would consume him. So after a couple of days of persistent urging, she finally managed to convince her husband to return to the office. Now, as Victor prepares to leave his home, Victoria could see his hands shivering slightly.

"Dear, there is nothing to be nervous about. I'll be fine," she assured him. Victor looked into her eyes, lines of worry running deep in his forehead.

"I do no feel comfortable leaving you, Victoria, especially when the servants are gone for the day. You will be all alone in this big mansion with no one to protect you."

Victoria bit her lip, a habit of hers when her confidence wavered. It was true, with their staff out visiting family, she would be alone all day and well into the night. Still, she could not let that fact prevent him from returning to his normal routine, especially when his health came into question. She squared her shoulders and put on a brave face.

"I will be alright, Victor. I assure you I will. Now will you please go to work," she cajoled him. Victor put on the wounded look Victoria learned he reserved for when she would get him to do something against his will, sort of as a way to make her feel guilty. She hated to admit it, but it worked tremendously, and today was no exception.

"But if it will ease your worry, why don't you try to leave an hour early," she suggested, at which Victor's face lit up immediately. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'll be home at seven instead of eight," he replied into her neck, his breath tickling her slightly and causing her to giggle. Not knowing what he had done but enjoying it immensely, Victor pulled away from her enough to look into her eyes and smile. He bent down and gave her a gentle kiss goodbye.

"Until then, my love," he told her as he reluctantly pulled away and gathered his coat and hat.

"Until then," Victoria responded. Then with another quick kiss, Victor placed his hat on top of his head and headed out the door. Victoria scurried over to the window in the parlor and gazed out of it to watch Victor's carriage roll slowly down the street towards the fish market, sighing slightly as it disappeared into the distance. Maybe she should have let him stay home. He only left a brief moment ago and already she could feel loneliness creep into her.

_It's for his own good, _she reminded herself, feeling guilty for even thinking such a selfish thought. Besides, seven o'clock would come soon enough if she just kept herself busy. With that thought in mind, Victoria headed off towards her and her husband's special room, ready to spend a quiet, peaceful day all alone.

* * *

Victoria's initial thoughts had been incorrect, much to her dissatisfaction. The day had crept by slower than ever, with her wandering about the mansion aimlessly and sewing scarf after scarf. She was just about to finish her third one when she heard the grandfather clock chime six times and sighed gratefully. Just one more hour before Victor would return home and her day of agony would end.

As she put the finishes touches on her final scarf, Victoria began to feel an ominous darkness seemingly consume the room. She rushed over to a window and looked up at the sky, which she realized was now completely overshadowed by thick, dark clouds. It was only a matter of seconds before loud thunder crashed and a heavy rain began to pour down on the little town.

_As if my mood wasn't bleak enough, _she thought sarcastically as she returned to her seat and resumed her project. Under normal circumstances she would have enjoyed this weather, but that was only when Victor was home and she could snuggle up close to him by the fire. At the moment, all she could do was hope the weather didn't delay him.

With the third scarf finished now, Victoria figured that she might as well knit up matching mittens, and maybe socks if she had time; anything to keep her eyes from wandering towards the clock in an attempt to will time to go faster. She picked up her sewing material, when to her immense surprise she heard the front door open and close.

_He must have come home early due to the storm, _Victoria assumed as she tossed her project aside. She could feel her heart soar as she flew out of her chair, out of the room and down the hall to the foyer to greet her greatly missed husband.

Much to her disappointment, however, she arrived at the foyer and found it to be empty, as if no one had entered the house at all.

"Victor," she called out timidly, not enjoying the familiar feeling forming in her stomach. "Victor, are you home?" When nothing but silence greeted her, Victoria began to believe that she just imagined the whole thing out of her anticipation.

She was about to head back to her room, when out of nowhere, she felt strong arms wrap around her a literally squeeze the breath out of her. Immediately she knew it wasn't Victor, for he would never be this rough with her. There was only one sick conclusion she could come to.

"Hello again, my dear," she heard the all too familiar voice hiss into her ear. "It seems we meet again."

"Let go of me," Victoria demanded, her voice strained from his death grip. Her demand, however, was only met with a cackle.

"It seems to me that you're not in any position to give commands, Victoria. Now, what say you and I head upstairs and we can get done what we both know what's been coming?"

"You'll have to kill me first," Victoria spat back, sick and tired of being tortured by the man. She picked up her foot and dug her heel into Barkis' foot as hard as she could, but this only caused him to squeeze her tighter and tighter. Finally, the lack of oxygen left her weak and she lay rather listless in his arms.

"I'm afraid that is no longer going to work, my dear. I'm through with stalling. Tonight what is rightfully mine is going to belong to me again if I have your cooperation or not. Now be a good little girl and join me upstairs or I will be forced to drag you. Agreed?"

Victoria, who was somewhat dizzy from what had just taken place, knew she had no choice but to comply, so to avoid further pain, she began to take steps towards the stairs. Barkis, who still had his arms wrapped tightly around her and showed no signs of letting go, mimicked her steps and followed her.

"Good girl," he praised her as if she was a puppy. "And try not to fret too much, love. It will all be over sooner than you think."

* * *

Victor sighed with frustration as he gazed at the mounds of paper work that sat before him. The employee that usually assisted him with those matters hadn't bothered to show up to work that day (or for the last few days for that matter), leaving him to try and figure it out on his own, one of the last things Victor had wanted to do that day.

"Besides leaving Victoria," he said aloud to the empty room. He sighed once more and gazed at his pocket watch for the hundredth time. Six o'clock. Just one more hour and he would be one his way home to the one he loved. He couldn't wait.

Victor picked up another form and began to skim over it. He knew it was written in English, it had to be, but he couldn't for the life of him concentrate long enough to understand what the words were trying to tell him. After a few more seconds, he tossed it aside.

"That's it," he resolved as he gathered his coat and hat. He knew he promised Victoria he would stay until seven, but he just couldn't take it anymore. He knew if he spent one more second staring at those menial forms, he would surely go mad.

Victor was about a foot away from the door when a swarm of crows suddenly fluttered about him. Startled beyond belief, he let out sort of a yelp sound and threw his hands over his head. When everything stood silent once more, he opened his eyes and looked about him to find that he was still standing in his office, only two others had joined him. Now, standing before him were Emily and Elder Gutknecht.

"Victor we have some terrible news," Emily said without bothering to greet him. Her straightforwardness immediately alarmed Victor as he worried eyes darted questioningly between the pair.

"Well, what is it," he asked in an alarmed tone, knowing from the looks on their faces that it had something to do with Barkis.

"Well, did it seem rather odd to you that Barkis would give up the book so easily," Elder Gutknecht questioned, holding up the Dark Magic book for further emphasis.

"Yes it did," Victor responded quickly in his urgency to discover what brought them here.

"We may have figured out why," Emily said as she turned to Elder Gutknecht and opened the book in his arms. She flipped rapidly through pages until she found the spot she wanted.

"Look at this," she gestured. "It looks like he ripped out a couple of pages of the book before he returned it to us." Victor gulped, fear gripping his heart.

"W-What pages," he asked, his voice trembling. Elder Gutknecht sighed before responded.

"The pages containing instructions on how to perform a forbidden spell called, 'Ein Leben für ein Leben,' or 'A Life for a Life'. It's a very, very powerful spell, and if performed correctly, could take the life of another and return it to that person, rendering them invincible in the process."

Victor could have sworn he was about to faint, but he quickly gathered himself and tried to grasp the situation.

"Barkis means to kill Victoria…."

"So that he may live forever," Emily concluded.

"And he could strike at any time now, so we must hurry and warn your wife," the elder insisted. Victor could feel himself turn a couple shades paler at his words.

"Oh my word, Victoria! She is at home alone! What if he…" he couldn't even finish his sentence. Wordlessly, he took off out of the office and towards his carriage, Emily and Elder Gutknecht following closely behind him.

"Back to my house," Victor barked to the driver, "and hurry!" The instant his friends joined him in the carriage, the driver took off as fast as he could down the road toward the Van Dort mansion. Houses went by in a frenzied blur, but to Victor the ride couldn't possibly be taking any longer. He squeezed his eyes shut and with every fiber of him tried to will the carriage to go faster and prayed that his dear wife was alright.

* * *

Forgive me once again for not rereading this chapter to correct any mistakes. Yo soy muy sleepy right now and I doubt I would catch them anyway! I promise I'll try to write the next chapter during normal hours, it's just that I usually get my best inspirations at night! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway, and reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated! Adios!

P.S. I just realized I made a terrible pun with that whole "floundering fish market" in the first sentence! Sorry : )


	20. Death of a Loved One

I am SO sorry this update took so long. College seems to be keeping me busier than I expected. Please forgive me! Well, hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Oh and one more thing! It has been brought to my attention that I tend to make Victor and Victoria so mushy to the point where it's a little out of character. Well, I do apologize for this fact and I'll try to tone it down a bit, but this is the very climatic scene and Victor and Victoria are going to display some emotions that can be read as mushy. I'll try to make it as in character as possible but if it still feels wrong…..well….there's nothing I can do about that! Sorry! Anyway, constructive criticism is still taken seriously and I really do appreciate the honesty!

Well, on with the show!

After being half-dragged up the stairs, Victoria was forced by Barkis to sit in a chair with her hands tied behind her back and her feet bound together. She winced as he purposely gave the ropes that bound her hands one last violent yank.

"Too tight, my dear," he asked, his voice dripping with false concern.

"You know very well that it is," Victoria spat back quietly, seeing no use for her words but releasing some of her anger by saying them anyway. Barkis sneered at her.

"Good," he replied. He was about to rise from his kneeling position until he remembered something.

"Oh and by the way," he leaned in to where he was speaking straight into her ear, "if you so much as even think the word, 'hopscotch,' I'll be sure your husband never sees the light of day again." With that having been said, he walked around to the front of her and pulled out a little vial from his coat pocket.

"Now, I'm fairly certain that I explained all this to you before, but let us have a quick recap, shall we?" He removed the cap of the vial as if for emphasis. "This," he held up the vial, "is a special poison that you will soon drink. And these," he pulled out a crumpled page of the book from his opposite coat pocket, "are the magic words that will get it to do its job. And when all is said and done, I will be immortal and you will be dead. Understood?"

Victoria's only response was stunned silence. She couldn't believe the man standing in front of her was speaking of her death so calmly, as if he wasn't about to rip her away from everything she loved. It was enough to make her sick to her stomach.

"Well….let us begin!" He took a few steps toward Victoria, for which she could feel her heart begin to race. She couldn't believe it was actually happening, she couldn't let it. As he got closer to her, she began writhing in her chair trying desperately to make some sort of escape.

"No, you cannot do this," she told him. "There is no way you can get away with this." Barkis laughed once more.

"I've told you before, darling, I can and I will." He closed the space in between them and put the vial to her lips.

"Drink," he commanded, but Victoria tightened her lips and shook her head.

"Drink," he demanded again in a more violent tone, but she still refused. Suddenly, both heard the door open from downstairs and a desperate voice called out Victoria's name. Victoria immediately recognized her husband's voice as she listened to him scurry about the house in search of her. Barkis turned towards her again and smiled.

"Drink or he dies," he put simply. Victoria felt her heart drop to her feet when she looked into his eyes and realized he was dead serious. So, out of fear and concern for her husband, she parted her lips and let Barkis pour the hideous contents of the vial into her mouth. She began to cough violently, feeling the liquid making a searing course down her throat.

"And now to say the magic words," Barkis continued as he tossed the vial aside and smooth out the crumpled book page in his hands. He was about to open his mouth and recite the spell when the door to the bedroom burst open and Victor flew in with a sword pointing straight for Barkis.

"Get away from her," he demanded as he charged toward Barkis, weapon drawn. He was about to pierce through him but Barkis stepped aside and snatched the sword away before Victor had a chance to react. Victor whirled around in shock, for which he was met with a boot straight in the chest. He flew to the ground, out of breathe and staring up at a triumphant looking Barkis.

"Antics such as those are not going to work any longer, little boy. I have the upper-hand now. Now stand, or in your case lie, back while I finish the incantation." He was about to continue again when Emily and Elder Gutknecht rushed in.

"Halt Barkis," the elder demanded, finishing it off with a couple of hacking coughs. Emily rushed over to Victoria's side and began unfastening the ropes. As she did, she slipped out a tiny vial of her own and passed it discreetly to Victoria.

"Drink this," she whispered to her, a command that Victoria immediately obeyed. Thankfully, Barkis was too busy shouting to notice.

"You are in no position to be giving demands, old man, and as for you, Emily dear, you can free her if you like, but it will not make the slightest difference. She has drunken the poison and will perish as soon as I recite the spell, untied or not."

As if to prove his point, Victoria stood up from her seat after being untied, swooned a bit, and immediately collapsed to the floor. Victor pulled himself up to a crawling position and scurried over to her side.

"Victoria," he called out to her as he gathered her in his arms. His only response from her was some inaudible whisper before she closed her eyes and seemed to slip away.

"Victoria," Victor called out to her once more, his voice frantic with worry.

"Victoria, Victoria," Barkis mocked in an exaggerated high-pitched voice. "Give it up, you spineless twit, she's gone. You lose."

"B-but it can't be," he said more to himself than to anyone else. "You cannot get away with this!"

"Hmm, where have I heard that before," Barkis pretended to contemplate for a moment, "oh yes, you're wife said it just before she drank the poison."

"You will not get away with this, Barkis," Emily piped in from Elder Gutknecht's side.

"Can't you people come up with something more clever to say," Barkis asked as he began to pace about the room. "I've won! It is over! I have taken everything!"

"But why," Victor asked in a whisper, still trying desperately to revive Victoria. At that question, Barkis immediately ceased pacing and stomped over to look Victor straight in the face.

"Why," he yelled as if he couldn't believe the question. "Why, you ask? Why do you think? You took everything from me! All this," he made a great sweeping motion with his arm to indicate the house, "was supposed to belong to me! You earned none of it! Your mansion, your successful career, your beautiful wife, it was all just handed to you! I planned for weeks before I came here and you just took it all away in an instant! If things had just gone according to plan in the first place, I would be in your position and you would be dead! But she," he pointed to Victoria, "had to go and spoil it all! Well now I'm just taking back what is rightfully mine! That is why I did it, you fool! Barkis Bittern never leaves empty-handed!"

When the rant came to its conclusion, Barkis smoothed back a lock of hair that had come out of place and seemed to regain his composure. The mad look that had contorted his features during his speech had returned to the calm, arrogant look he usually wore as he stood up straight and took a couple of steps away from the couple.

"And now that that has been accomplished, I can finally revel in the fact that my work here is complete," he concluded, ready to continue with his chanting of the spell, but before he could Emily interrupted him.

"So you're saying your revenge is complete," she asked, at which Barkis scoffed.

"Of course, you fool! I have everything now, everything that was stolen from me and then some!"

"And was revenge your only reason for staying behind?"

"What?! Oh, yes, of course! Why are you asking," he responded, beginning to grow a little suspicious.

"Oh, no reason," Emily replied nonchalantly, her eyes sparkling with mystery. Barkis narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion, but decided instead to focus at the task at hand. He was about to open his mouth once more when suddenly a great crash of thunder sounded throughout the mansion that shook its very foundation. Barkis yelped in surprise.

"Except that," Emily added coyly, a devilish smile playing at her lips.

"What was that? What is happening," Barkis questioned as he began pacing about nervously. Suddenly the room seemed to grow ominously darker about them as the faint caws of a hundred crows could be heard in the distance. But these crows seemed to have a different call to them from those that carried people back to the Land of the Dead; these crows seemed to sound like that had a different destination at hand.

"Well, you admitted that your revenge was complete and that it was your only reason for staying behind. So, I guess it's time for you to crossover," Emily explained simply, not able to conceal her smug smile any longer.

"Crossover?! Crossover to where," Barkis asked, searching wildly about him for the direction the crow calls were coming from.

"I believe you know the answer to that, Barkis," she responded coldly. Before Barkis could say anything more, the caws intensified to such a degree that the occupants of the room had to cover their ears. In a flash they appeared and were circling about their victim in a mad frenzy, pulling and tugging at him from all directions. The only thing that could be heard above the cawing and the flapping of wings were the terrible shrieks of Barkis Bittern as they dragged him off the underworld and disappeared into thin air. When all was quiet again, those that were left stood unmoving in complete shock.

"We won," Elder Gutknecht finally spoke up, breaking the trance they all seemed to be in.

"You mean…it's finally over? Barkis is gone forever," Emily replied, not able to believe her ears.

"Yes, my dear," the Elder replied. "He's gone. His reign of terror is finally over." At this, Emily squealed in delight and did a few graceful twirls before wrapping her arms around the old skeleton.

"I can't believe it! After all these years, it's finally…." Before she could conclude her sentence, she caught sight of Victor still holding a motionless Victoria in his arms. She released Elder Gutknecht and walked over to their side.

"Victoria," she heard Victor call out to his wife, his voice barely above a whisper. "Victoria, we've won. We've defeated Barkis. You can wake up now, darling."

"Victor, is she…" Emily began to ask, but Victor interrupted her before she could finish.

"She can't be," he replied frantically. "She just can't be! Please, there has to be something you can do."

"We…I gave her the cure to the poison! She drank it, I saw her! It should have worked! Elder Gutknecht…"

"There was never any guarantee that it would work, my dear," he corrected sadly. At that statement, big crocodile tears began to roll down Emily's cheeks.

"But it just has to," she argued in a broken voice. The Elder shook his head.

"I'm sorry. She's gone," he concluded. Emily buried her hands in her face and began to weep, mourning the loss of her new dear friend.

Meanwhile, Victor listened to the words of the old skeleton with complete shock and denial. The words, she's gone, rung in his ears over and over again, but his mind would not wrap around the concept. It wasn't until he looked down at his wife's lifeless body in his hands once more did it hit him.

"Victoria," he called out to her in anguish. At that moment, Victor felt his whole world crash about him. The only person he ever loved was gone forever. His worse nightmares were coming true.

"Victoria," he whispered once more before he buried his face in her neck, commencing to sob quiet, heart-wrenching sobs and wanting nothing more than to lay down and die right along side her.

All of a sudden, he felt a soft tiny hand run itself through his hair. He picked up his head in shock and saw Victoria's doe eyes staring up at him. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating, but then he heard what to him would forever be the most beautiful sound in the world, her voice.

"Victor, why are you crying," she asked him, causing him to laugh with sheer joy. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her to him, never wanting to let her go ever again.

"Victoria, you're alive," he told her, squeezing her even tighter.

"Yes Victor," she replied between gasps, "and I also can't breathe." Victor laughed delightfully as he released her from his death embrace and looked her in the eyes.

"I love you, Victoria," he told her before she could question what was going on. She smiled at him and planted a gentle kiss on his lips before responding.

"I love you too, Victor." After another kiss, the couple stood up and were immediately embraced by Emily.

"Oh I'm so glad you're alright," she told Victoria, who smiled sweetly in response.

"Thank you, Emily," she responded.

"Well, this calls for a celebration," Elder Gutknecht piped in after the happy scene concluded. "Hopscotch!"

In an instant all were transported back to the Land of the Dead to celebrate their triumph over Barkis and the return of a loved one.

Okay, this ended sucked, I'm aware, but I totally ran out of transition ideas! Please don't think poorly of me because of it! Anyway, don't go away yet! There's one more chapter coming up that really brings the story to its happy ending! Stay tuned!


	21. We'll All Meet Again

Within a matter of minutes, a party was in full swing at the Ball and Socket. Bonejangles and his band were playing lively tune after lively tune, drinks were being passed around, and hundreds of guests chatted lively with one another and toasted the triumph over the most hated creature in all the Land of the Dead. It truly was a spectacular party.

But as his friends and wife mingled with other guests, Victor instead sat quietly in one corner of the room, sipping his drink and keeping a watchful eye on Victoria, all the while hoping no one would notice him and disturb his solitude. It wasn't as if he wasn't enjoying the party, quite the contrary. He was having a marvelous time celebrating with his loved ones and was ecstatically happy about their success in defeating Barkis. It was a tremendous weight of his shoulders, after all.

However, it did unintentionally create a new one: the concern of Victoria's welfare. Sure, Victor had always been concerned about the safety of his wife, but up until then, it hadn't been something that he thought he had to constantly worry about every second of every day. It wasn't until he came so direly close to losing her did he realize how easily she could be taken away from him, a notion that frightened him beyond belief. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her, and from the little taste of being apart from her he had gotten earlier, he knew he would have no desire to go on without her.

So, instead of celebrating with his wife as he should have been, Victor instead retreated to the corner, watching Victoria's every move with intense focus. He knew his behavior was ridiculous, but at the moment he just couldn't risk anything, not again, and especially not after all that had taken place.

Victor was still intent on his guard duties when suddenly a haze of blue caught his attention. He looked over just in time to see Emily breeze out of the pub, seemingly unnoticed by everyone besides him. He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave Victoria unwatched, but in the end curiosity got the best of him and he quickly and quietly slipped out of the pub after her.

He found her standing just a few feet away from the entrance, staring up at the moon with a very thoughtful expression. Feeling as if he was interrupting something, Victor cautiously walked up to her from behind.

"Emily," he called out timidly, causing her to start a bit. Victor immediately regretted his actions and apologized quickly.

"I'm so sorry, Emily. I didn't mean to frighten you…"

"No, no Victor. It's fine, really," she assured him.

"I just saw you slip out and was wondering if everything was alright…" he paused awkwardly to read her reaction. "Is it?"

"Oh yes, Victor. I'm alright….its just…I've finally come to realize that it's over…it's really over…" she replied, that thoughtful, faraway look returning to her eyes.

"Yes, it finally is," Victor agreed, assuming he knew what she was speaking of, "and it never would have been that way had it not been for you." He paused again, only this time to stare at her with all the gratitude he felt in his heart. When he got no reaction from her, he continued. "I don't know how I could ever thank you enough."

"I'm not just talking about Barkis, Victor," Emily replied, causing him to be taken aback. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Y-you're not?"

"No," she answered softly as she returned her attention to the moon. "I'm talking about everything. My waiting in the darkness, my stay here in the Land of the Dead…it's finally come to its end."

"What do you mean," Victor questioned, not at all certain what she was speaking of.

"I mean that maybe my purpose in staying behind wasn't just to help defeat Barkis. I think it was something more…" she turned her gaze from the moon back to Victor. "I think I needed to finally realize how foolish my actions have been."

"Foolish," Victor responded incredulously. "It was foolish to save us from Barkis?"

"No Victor," she corrected in a nearly exasperated tone. "Lying in the dark so long, that was foolish." Emily sighed before continuing in an unsteady voice. "It was foolish of me to wait there so long for someone to come set me free…"

"It's not foolish to desire love," Victor pointed out sympathetically.

"Yes, but to almost steal someone away from their true love for my own selfish purposes was," she retorted.

"You did the right thing in the end…"

"But not for the right reason." Tears began to fall steadily down Emily's cheeks as she went on. "I returned you to Victoria out of guilt, not because I wanted to." There was an awkward pause as she attempted to clear the tears from her face, but as soon as she did, more would replace them. Victor, not having the slightest clue how to respond to such a confession, stood fiddling with his cravat in silence. Finally, Emily took in a deep breath (figuratively speaking) and continued.

"I still love you Victor," she consented, "and even though I did do what was right in the end, I still desired to be with you. Deep inside my heart, I still believed we should have ended up together." She looked past him toward the direction of the pub and smiled a small, watery smile. "But upon getting to know Victoria, seeing what a wonderful person she is, and seeing how happy you two are together finally made me realize that what happened was indeedfor the best." Victor's heart when out to her at that moment and he desperately wanted to say something to make her feel better.

"Emily, I do love Victoria with all my heart," he began, mentally slapping himself in the process. _Fabulous way to comfort her, you fool, _he told himself. "But had it not been for that, I would have married you in a heartbeat." He looked into her eyes with the up most sincerity. "You truly are a wonderful person, Emily." Emily beamed at him affectionately and tenderly kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Victor," she replied, her voice breaking up with emotion, "that was a wonderful thing to say, but it does not change the fact that I acted foolishly."

"Everyone does foolish things every now and then," Victor retorted. "It's what you learn from those actions that count."

"I suppose," she agreed, "and I do believe I learned quite a bit." She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm very happy for you Victor. I can say that sincerely now."

"Thank you, Emily," Victor replied, "for everything. How will I ever be able to repay you?"

"You already have," she replied with a smile. "You set me free….again!" She turned around and took a few steps toward the direction of the full moon. A few moments passed where she stood with her eyes closed and her arms outstretched, basking in the glow of it and looking like she was about to ascend. Victor could feel that something was about to happen. There was a change in the air around them. But before anything did happen, Emily turned her head towards him and smiled.

"I love you, Victor; you _and_ Victoria. And I'm very happy for the both you. Would you please tell her that?"

"Y-yes, but…where are you going?"

"It's my time to _truly_ be set free," she explained to him.

"Will we ever see you again," Victor asked, his own eyes brimming with tears.

"Don't worry, Victor. We'll all be together again someday, when the time is right. But in the mean time, would you do me a favor?"

"Anything," Victor agreed.

"Be happy," she told him, "and live…for me." And with that final goodbye, Emily let out a long sigh and transformed until hundreds of beautiful butterflies. Victor felt a sense of de ja vu strike him as he watched them fly off, but instead of flying off towards the moon, those butterflies seemed to have a much higher destination in mind. He watched in amazement and they flew beyond the moon towards the stars and the heavens beyond. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Victor," Victoria called out. Victor whirled around to face her, suddenly ashamed for being gone so long.

"Oh, hello Victoria," he replied sheepishly.

"What's going on," she asked, looking up in the direction he had been staring off into. When she spotted the few remaining butterflies flying off into the distance, her eyes grew wider.

"Was that Emily?!"

"Yes dear, it was," Victor replied in rather melancholy manner.

"Is she….gone," she asked fearfully.

"I'm afraid so, Victoria," he answered her, all the while watching the last of the butterflies fade into nothingness. He heard a few sniffles coming from his wife and turned to face her.

"Oh Victor, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye," she told him tearfully. He immediately rushed over to her side and wrapped his arms around her. Victoria, in turn, buried her face into his chest and wept quietly.

"Oh please do not fret, Victoria. She knew you cared for her very much and how thankful we were to her. She told me to tell you that she loved you and to be happy and live for her." Hearing her sniffling cease a bit, Victor concluded that his comfort had worked, much to his relief. They stood holding each other for a moment more, enjoying the peace and the company of each other.

"Will we ever see her again," Victoria asked into his chest. Victor smiled.

"When the time is right," he answered her in Emily's words, "we'll all see each other again. I'm sure of it." He gazed up at the moon a bit longer before speaking again.

"Victoria, what say you and I bid the others farewell and go home?" Victoria picked her head up from his chest and smiled at him.

"That sound like a wonderful idea," she replied. Victor, in response, bent down towards her and kissed her softly on the lips. Then, hand in hand they walked slowly back towards the pub to bid their friends a temporary farewell and then head back to their normal lives in the Land of the Living, where they would surely live happily ever after.

THE END

* * *

Well, that's all folks! Hope you enjoyed my first full length Corpse Bride fan fiction! And if you did, there's plenty more where that came from! Until next time! Bye! 


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